NEWS: Hellfire: Addressing Japan’s Post-War Identity and Experience

"II Fire" by Iri and Toshi Maruki. Photo courtesy of BU Art Galleries.
“II Fire” by Iri and Toshi Maruki. Photo courtesy of BU Art Galleries.

On Tuesday evening students and faculty joined professors Thomas Berger (BU), Alice Tseng (BU), and Franziska Seraphim (Boston College) for a screening of the 1986 documentary Hellfire: Journey through Hiroshima. Detailing the artistic method and meaning behind the infamous Hiroshima Panels by husband and wife artists Iri and Toshi Maruki, the panels have become global fixtures in understanding the atrocities of war. Depicting the grotesque and mangled bodies of the victims following the dropping of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima (which the two have described as Hell), the panels have since been viewed as a graphic message advocating for permanent disarmament and world peace.

IMG_2397
Professors Thomas Berger (BU), Alice Tseng (BU), and Franziska Seraphim (Boston College) participated in a panel following the film screening.

Following the film, professors Berger, Tseng and Seraphim participated in a panel discussing the lingering impact of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the people of Japan. All three professors gave their thoughts and opinions on the film, which they found to be moving and incredibly powerful.

Professor Seraphim detailed her own experience at the Maruki Gallery, where she was able to view the Marukis’ and other artists’ anti-war installments, including an exhibit entitled East Asian Yasukunism. More contemporary and focusing on the tumultuous relationship between Japan and South Korea following the conclusion of World War II, Seraphim asserted that the lasting impact of the Marukis and their depictions of Hell have not only continued to inspire modern artists, but also educate future generations to be cautious of extreme nationalism and war.

Currently, BU’s Stone Gallery is hosting six of the 15 Maruki Hiroshima Panels in the exhibit A Call for Peace. Featuring the work of the Marukis and other artifacts from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the exhibit will be on display until October 18. For more information, please click here.