The deaf victims of the Nagasaki atomic bomb have survived the postwar period while bearing the triple suffering of being deaf, unable to speak, and exposed to the atomic bomb. Using a 6x6 format camera, Mamezuka carefully captured their way of life, getting very close to their inner selves. What is captured in his photographs are various thoughts and suffering, as well as the many expressions that only Mamezuka could capture by facing his subjects head-on.
The first paragraph of the artist statement: The atomic bombing had faded from people's memories, and the footsteps of war could be heard, when the news of the Hidankyo's Nobel Peace Prize came in. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the bombing. Deaf atomic bomb survivors of Nagasaki live with the desire for peace and the bombing experience. Looking back, it all began 40 years ago when a group of sign language interpreters was formed in Nagasaki. In Nagasaki, it was thought that one could not fully understand the lives of deaf people without knowing the bombing, so they began to record the experiences of the atomic bombing. As I had a close relationship with the sign language interpreters, I received a request to "record the experience photographically." As a group with no money, we began making volunteer visits to Nagasaki. We continued to visit Nagasaki for nearly 10 years.
Takeshi Mamezuka Photo Exhibition "People Who Didn't Hear the Pikadon Bang"
2025/07/22 ~ 2025/07/27
Gallery Japanesque, Kyoto Museum of Photography
For more information: https://kyoto-muse.jp/news/185559
See also: https://kyoto-muse.jp/exhibition/184680
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