By Yumi Iwasaki | Project Leader
We are celebrating the 57th anniversary of the Maruki Gallery on May 5. We thank you for your support and interest in our activities.
Today we would like to share with you the progress on the renovation of the gallery building, the current and upcoming exhibitions, as well as the anniversary event.
We have selected a contractor for the gallery renovation project.
After the basic design for our gallery renovation project was completed last fall, we requested estimate from three local contractors to calculate the approximate construction cost.
The cost of construction has continued to rise in recent years as prices for labor, materials, fuel, and other expenses have increased. As a result, each company's estimate was higher than our planned budget.
We then conducted a hearing with each contractor together with "wyes architects", who is responsible for the design. Based on the submitted estimates and the hearing results, we selected SIGUMA (Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture) as the prospective contractor.
We are making steady progress in our renovation plans. We sincerely thank you for your continued support in creating an optimum environment for the preservation of the Hiroshima Panels.
Introducing our special exhibitions
Current exhibition: Ahagon Shoko: Photography, Resistance, and Island People
Ahagon Shoko (1901-2002) is known for his nonviolent resistance together with local farmers over U.S.-occupied land on Ie Island after the Battle of Okinawa. Ahagon began documenting the island in photographs from 1955 to record the damage caused by the “bayonet and bulldozer” method of forced land confiscation, the U.S. military oppression, and the practice firing range. This exhibition will show the photographer side of Ahagon, who is well known as the "Gandhi of Okinawa" and as a peace activist.
Click here for more information on the exhibition.
Next exhibition: "Matsushita Mariko: Human Animals" (May 11 to July 7, 2024)
Matsushita was in Palestine right before the airstrikes started and is one of the artists who has been responding most profoundly for this matter in Japan ever since the genocide begun. In this exhibition, the artist will present a new collection of works in which she explores a new ideological abyss that does not divide "what is called human" and "what is called animal".
Click here for more information on the exhibition.
Events on the 57th anniversary of the opening of the gallery
This year's event will focus on "Okinawa," which is also depicted in the works of the Marukis.
There will be a reading of the picture book "Okinawa Shima no Koe" by actor Kagimoto Keiko, a screening of the film " Okinawa Sen no Zu (the Battle of Okinawa) 14 parts" which was screened in various locations last year, a workshop by painter Yamauchi Wakana, as well as lively stalls offering locally produced organic food items.
We are enjoying fresh greenery and beautiful flowers here at the Maruki Gallery.
We wish you a pleasant spring time, too!
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
