Nowadays Japan is an advanced country at the leading-edge of education, technology and transportation. But not so long ago things were very different. After World War II, much of the country lay in ruins. A new exhibition opening in Bangkok this month provides a visual account of the rapid changes Japan experienced throughout the post-war period on the road to prosperity.
Organized by the Japan Foundation and curated by Tsuguo Tada and Marc Feustel, Metamorphosis of Japan after the War runs from Sep 17-Oct 14 at Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center (RCAC). The collection presents 123 images by 11 Japanest artists which capture the rampant social changes in post-war Japan from 1945-1964.
Split into three sections—The Aftermath of War, Between Tradition and Modernity, and Towards a New Japan—the exhibition captures the significant social and political changes that occurred throughout Japan after WWII through to its hosting of the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. See below for a sneak peek of what's on show.
Young woman. Omagari, Akita, 1953
Children looking at a picture-card show. Tokyo, 1953. Ken Domon
Domains: Garden of Silence, No. 52. Hakodate, Hokkaido 1958. Ikko Narahara
Dancers resting on the rooftop of the SKD Theatre. Asakusa, Tokyo 1949. Takeyoshi Tanuma
Woman planting rice. Toyama 1955. Hiroshi Hamaya
The Map: The A-bomb Memorial Dome and Ohta River, 1960-1965. Kikuji Kawada
Discharged soldiers. Shinagawa Station, Tokyo 1946. Tadahiko Hayashi
Completing management training at a stock brokerage firm. Ikebukuro, Tokyo 1961. Shigeichi Nagano
