Yagi no Hai (Lungs of a Goat)

Presentation of an exhibition of the project at Salon Nikon, Tokyo (2008) :

Text taken from the website Tokyo Art Beat

"Goats are the spitting image of Okinawa. Although they have a mild temper and a fairly gentle personality, they are killed and eaten in the end for their fine flavor. The title of the exhibition is a sort of symbol for Okinawan history and culture.

This exhibition is composed of photos taken between 1968-2005, including ones of the silent majority who go about their work quietly, everyone shouldering their own burden through life, long-suffering « professional housewives, » etc.

The titles of these photos are unusually interesting. « People who gather empty cans, sell them and build their house with the money », « Women who waits till dawn for the man she loves to come out », etc.

The « professional housewives » in these photos struggled through the postwar years to carve out a living for themselves and their families, coming to be viewed as the « private parts » of booming, progressive Okinawan society. Forced to leave their villages and families in droves, these women have been memorialized in these photos, captured at a time when they were caught somewhere in the limbo between « revival » and « homecoming ». The quiet looks directed at the camera in these photos speak eloquently for what was not said."

Texts in Japanese only.

196 pages - Hardcover w/ DJ

Kage Shobo, 2018

Format : 19 x 19 cm

New - Mint condition