Chasing good fortune

Gersht, Ori (2011) Chasing good fortune. [Photography]

1013:4011
Imperial Memories, Floating Petals

Imperial Memories, Floating Petals

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1013:4012
Against the Tide, Isolated

Against the Tide, Isolated

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1013:4013
Tokyo Imperial Memories, Memorial Garden 3

Tokyo Imperial Memories, Memorial Garden 3

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1013:4014
Hiroshima Sleepless Nights, Never Again 1

Hiroshima Sleepless Nights, Never Again 1

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1013:4015
Tokyo Imperial Memories, Night Fly 1

Tokyo Imperial Memories, Night Fly 1

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1013:4016
Out of Time 2

Out of Time 2

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1013:4017
Tokyo Imperial Memories, Speck 3

Tokyo Imperial Memories, Speck 3

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Creators:
Gersht, Ori
Description/Abstract:

This output consists of images taken in Japan from April to May 2010. I travelled between cities that were affected by World War II, as well as to ancient locations in remote western Japan, examining the shifting symbolism of the cherry blossom. While initially associated with Buddhist concepts of renewal, the celebration of life and good fortune, the cherry blossom was re-appropriated during Japan's 19th-century militarization and colonial expansion. Once celebrated as a healthy and abundant flower, the falling of the petals from the tree became the symbol of Kamikaze soldiers. I develop this investigation of life and death symbolism in my exploration of trees planted before the war in unaffected remote areas, contrasting them with trees in Hiroshima that were planted in nuclear soil.

I made use of digital cameras that allowed for images to be taken under extreme light conditions, further questioning the ability of photography as a medium to convey a singular truth or story. Presenting documentation of what is assumed to be an exact location, my digital process allows for the absolute light and colour veracity of these landscapes to be questioned and by extension the viewer's interpretation of this location's history. Chasing Good Fortune offers imagery that conveys past and present without a specified linear narrative. My aim is to provide a meditation on the dialectics of life and death that are symbolically embedded in my photographic process as well as in the life cycle of the cherry blossom.

Item Type:
Art/Design Item
Date:
2011
Copyright Holders:
Ori Gersht
Locations / Venues:
Location
From Date
To Date
Mid career Survey show, Museum Of Fine Art Boston, Boston, USA
28 August 2012
6 January 2013
This Storm is what We Call Progress, Imperial War Museum, London, UK
25 January 2012
29 April 2012
Survey of works between 2001-2011, Tel Aviv Museum of Contemporary Art, Israel
2012
2012
Lost in Time, Santa Barbara Museum, Barbara Museum, CA, USA
20 May 2011
4 September 2011
Lost in Time 21c Museum, Kentucky USA
2011
2011
Chasing Good Fortune & Will You Dance For Me, CRG Gallery New York, USA
6 May 2011
24 June 2011
Chasing Good Fortune & Will You Dance For Me, Angles Gallery Los Angeles, USA
21 May 2011
9 July 2011
Noga Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel
2011
2011
Uncontrolled Keywords or tags :
Japan
Schools:
School of Fine Art, Crafts & Photography
Related URLs:
Depositing User:
Professor Ori Gersht
Date Deposited:
29 Feb 2012 06:42
Last Modified:
08 Mar 2018 16:15
Art/Design Categories:
Photography
URI:
https://research.uca.ac.uk/id/eprint/1013

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