Gersht, Ori (2011) Chasing good fortune. [Photography]
Creators: | Gersht, Ori |
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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 & Photography |
Related URLs: | |
Depositing User: |
Professor Ori Gersht
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Date Deposited: | 29 Feb 2012 06:42 |
Last Modified: | 08 Mar 2018 16:15 |
URI: | https://research.uca.ac.uk/id/eprint/1013 |
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