Iconoclash 02 — Tokyo after Fukushima

My work is part of the group exhibition Iconoclash 02, curated by Daniel Klemm and shown at UNCOMMON PLACE gallery. The exhibition opens on Sunday, March 11, 2012, at 7 pm and runs until June 10.

The show brings together works by Aoki Takamasa, Kai von Rabenau, and myself. Each contribution approaches the theme from a different angle, offering a shared yet distinct view of the time and context we were responding to.

Photographing Tokyo in 2011

In the summer of 2011, a few months after the Fukushima disaster, I traveled through Tokyo. I was interested in how the city functioned under new conditions and quiet restrictions. Energy-saving measures shaped everyday life, while public behavior reflected a strong sense of collective responsibility.

The photographs I show in Iconoclash 02 come from this period. Rather than focusing on dramatic events, I concentrated on small shifts in atmosphere and routine. The images reflect how a city adapts when uncertainty becomes part of daily life.

Reading the images

My work in the exhibition looks at Tokyo as a lived space during a time of crisis. The photographs show moments of restraint, coordination, and calm. They point to how social systems respond when pressure becomes unavoidable.

I approached this series without a fixed narrative in mind. Instead, I observed and followed what unfolded in front of me. Photography allowed me to record these moments without explanation, leaving space for viewers to draw their own conclusions.

Position within the exhibition

Within Iconoclash 02, my work offers a focused look at Tokyo after Fukushima. It stands alongside the other contributions as part of a broader conversation about disruption, response, and adaptation. Together, the works reflect different ways of engaging with uncertainty through sound, image, and structure.

An invitation to look closely

This exhibition does not aim to summarize or resolve what happened. Instead, it invites visitors to slow down and look closely. Through photography, I try to create room for reflection—on resilience, collective action, and how societies continue to function when circumstances shift beyond control.

Iconoclash 02 offers that space, and I am grateful to be part of the conversation it opens.