..February 2017.. ..Nagasaki..
The Nagasaki Shimbun just published an article about the From Above exhibtion which was held at the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims. From Above features portraits of atomic bomb and fire bombing victims from WWII.
..Dresden Altmarkt..
The only memorial within the old town which acknowledges the civilians who perished during the firebombing of Dresden on February 13th and 14th, 1945.
For weeks an unknown amount of bodies were cremated on this spot in the Altmarkt.
Today the Altmarkt is still the old square of Dresden, with a large parking garage underneath. You have to be aware that this small plague exists or you will walk passed it without noticing.
Some other memorials remembering the dead are also located at various mass graves in the city’s cemeteries at the Dresden Heidefriedhof and Johannisfriedhof Cemetery. The mass grave at Johannisfriedhof wasn’t revealed to the public until after the fall of the DDR in 1990, 45 years after Dresden was destroyed.
..January 2018.. ..Dresden..
Swallowed by the horizon.
..January 2018.. ..Nagasaki..
Today I received the sad news that atomic bomb survivor Mr. Masatoshi Tsunenari passed away a couple of months ago. He was 89 years old.
I hadn’t seen Mr. Tsunenari since July 2010. He was a soft spoken person with a lot of compassion.
I will always be thankful that he agreed to meet with Mrs. Haruyo Nihei, a Tokyo fire bombing survivor, who wanted to tell her experience of surviving the fire bombing of Tokyo to an atomic bomb survivor. It was an amazing moment to see them listen and exchange stories. Tragic moments in time that changed their lives instantly.
Seeing Mr. Tsunenari listen to and accept Mrs. Nihei’s story was moving. I believe it was a great feeling of relief to Ms. Nihei to be able to share her experience.
This is there portrait I took near the hypocenter where the atomic bomb was detonated in Nagasaki. It’s also in my book From Above and I will show it next time the exhibition returns to Nagasaki.
..January 2018.. ..Dresden..
A cold winter sunset along the Elbe with the distant lights of the old town descending to an edge. The frost blue sky matches my everlasting feeling of being lost. Is home there or anywhere? I have a home but is it home when your feelings have always felt transient?
You make a home to only feel like it isn’t a home. Then you search again for the next nest hoping it will soothe the inside.
Kurt Vonnegut walked along the right bank of the Elbe before sunrise then back after sunset to dig the dead out of the cellars after the old town was pillaged with fire. Did the same fierce blue follow him back to the Slaughterhouse after each hellacious dig?
Another solitary walk in my lifetime of comfortless walks. It’s not what they told me growing old would feel like. I’ve made mistakes that boomerang. A tear stained loveless evening heard by only one.
I have a couple of exhibition prints remaining from a recent gallery show. All prints are hand printed C-prints limited editions of 5, signed, numbered and include an artists certificate.
Please contact me at paule.saviano@gmail.com if your interested.
16×20 inches. 2 Remaining $275
20X24 inches. 1 Remaining $325
30×40 inches. 2 Remaining $500
There are 11×14 inch prints, that are an open edition for $100.
..December 2017.. ..Nagasaki..
Photographing hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) Takeshi Minekawa along the stream that flows near the hypocenter.