Domon Ken retrospective at Museo dell'Ara Pacis in Rome

The Museo dell'Ara Pacis in Rome presents 'Domon Ken – Il maestro del realismo giapponese', a retrospective curated by Rossella Menegazzo and Takeshi Fujimori, running until September 18, 2016. Domon Ken (1909–1990), born in Sakata, was a pioneering Japanese photojournalist known for his social realism. In 1935, he joined Nippon Kōbō, founded by Natori Yōnosuke. By 1938, his reportage was published in Life magazine, angering both Natori and rival Kimura Ihaee. During the war, Life served as a model for illustrated journalism despite being from an enemy nation. After WWII, Domon documented the Hiroshima atomic bomb aftermath in 1957, producing about 8,000 negatives over five months. These images were published in two volumes (1958 and 1978) and won the International Photography Award for Reportage in 1960. That same year, he published 'Children of Chikuhō' about a mining village. The exhibition includes a dark labyrinth simulating his Hiroshima experience. Later, Domon focused on Japanese cultural heritage, including Bunraku theater and Buddhist temples. His health declined due to cerebral hemorrhages, leading to paralysis and a long coma. The exhibition is accompanied by a Skira catalog.