“Honored” to receive Hiroshima Art Prize, Alfredo Jaar expresses delight at award ceremony in Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
Jul. 22, 2023
by Ayano Fukuda, Staff Writer
On July 21, an award ceremony to present the 11th Hiroshima Art Prize, which honors a modern artist who has contributed to peace through art, was held at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary art in the city’s Minami Ward. At the ceremony, a plaque and other things were presented to Alfredo Jaar, 67, who is originally from Chile and now lives in New York, the United States.
Mr. Jaar was born in Santiago, Chile. He has produced artworks with photos and images on the themes of war, political problems and social inequalities. He has also created works related to the A-bombed city of Hiroshima, submitting one of his works to an exhibition entitled “After Hiroshima: Special Exhibition for the 50th Anniversary of the Hiroshima A-bombing,” held at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art in 1995.
On July 21, Mr. Jaar received a plaque from Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui. Mr. Jaar said Hiroshima, which continues to appeal for nuclear abolition, is the equivalent of a light in its existence and that he was honored beyond words to win the prize.
An exhibit commemorating Mr. Jaar’s winning the prize will be held at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art from July 22 to October 15. This will be Mr. Jaar’s first full-fledged solo exhibition in Japan. Mr. Jaar’s nine works, including five new ones, will be displayed at the exhibit. Among his new works, are a work inspired by the poem “Umashimenkana” (“We Shall Bring Forth New Life”), written by Sadako Kurihara, a poet known for her A-bomb-related work, and a work using the first cry of a new baby born in Hiroshima.
The Hiroshima Art Prize was established by the Hiroshima City government in 1989 and is awarded every three years. Mr. Jaar was chosen as the winner of the 11th Hiroshima Art Prize in 2018, and his exhibit was scheduled to be held in 2020. However, the exhibit was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the long closure of the museum.
(Originally published on July 22, 2023)
On July 21, an award ceremony to present the 11th Hiroshima Art Prize, which honors a modern artist who has contributed to peace through art, was held at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary art in the city’s Minami Ward. At the ceremony, a plaque and other things were presented to Alfredo Jaar, 67, who is originally from Chile and now lives in New York, the United States.
Mr. Jaar was born in Santiago, Chile. He has produced artworks with photos and images on the themes of war, political problems and social inequalities. He has also created works related to the A-bombed city of Hiroshima, submitting one of his works to an exhibition entitled “After Hiroshima: Special Exhibition for the 50th Anniversary of the Hiroshima A-bombing,” held at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art in 1995.
On July 21, Mr. Jaar received a plaque from Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui. Mr. Jaar said Hiroshima, which continues to appeal for nuclear abolition, is the equivalent of a light in its existence and that he was honored beyond words to win the prize.
An exhibit commemorating Mr. Jaar’s winning the prize will be held at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art from July 22 to October 15. This will be Mr. Jaar’s first full-fledged solo exhibition in Japan. Mr. Jaar’s nine works, including five new ones, will be displayed at the exhibit. Among his new works, are a work inspired by the poem “Umashimenkana” (“We Shall Bring Forth New Life”), written by Sadako Kurihara, a poet known for her A-bomb-related work, and a work using the first cry of a new baby born in Hiroshima.
The Hiroshima Art Prize was established by the Hiroshima City government in 1989 and is awarded every three years. Mr. Jaar was chosen as the winner of the 11th Hiroshima Art Prize in 2018, and his exhibit was scheduled to be held in 2020. However, the exhibit was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the long closure of the museum.
(Originally published on July 22, 2023)
