HATA Yoshio: Miracle Forest EXPO ’70
Saturday, October 5 – Saturday, November 2, 2024
12:00–19:00(Wednesday – Friday), 12:00–17:00(Saturday)
By Appointment only on Tuesday
We are pleased to announce the HATA Yoshio’s solo exhibition Miracle Forest EXPO‘70 at The Third Gallery Aya from October 10th to November 2nd.
The 1970 World Expo was held in Osaka. Next year 2025, exactly 55 years later, another World Expo is to be held in the same city. The site, which was carved out of the Senri Hills, now retains only a few traces of that time—such as the Japanese Garden, Taro Okamoto’s Tower of the Sun, and the Japan Folk Crafts Museum.
HATA Yoshio photographed the “Expo Forest,” a man-made woodland that has grown on the former pavilion grounds. We will be surprised by the diverse flora and fauna that have thrived over the past 55 years. He also tries to analyze the reason for such an exuberance of a man-made forest. This work must be the latest example of documentary photography. The fact that the World Expo, a symbol of industrial society, has offered a regenerated forest within the urban area after 55 years gives us hope for the future in these complex modern times.
Artist Statement|
EXPO ’70 Osaka was a national event that demonstrated to the world Japan’s rise as an economic power after emerging from the ruins of the immediate postwar period. With the theme of “Progress and Harmony for Mankind,” it was a festival that highlighted cutting-edge science and technology and celebrated the equality of all people.
Almost all the pavilions, which were iconic symbols of the Expo, were dismantled after the 183-day event, leaving only the yellow soil of a barren vacant lot. Initially, the plan was to develop a business center there, but public opinion was critical of the festival’s focus on economic growth, which had led to the destruction of the natural environment and satoyama (lit. “village-mountains,” a Japanese term applied to the border zone or area between mountain foothills and arable flat land) in the name of development. This sense of disillusionment fueled a movement to restore nature at the Expo site, leading to the creation of a forest.
Over the past 50 years, the initially fragile human-cultivated forest has grown and transformed into a dense, vibrant woodland where people can enjoy the changing seasons and find a peaceful retreat. The regeneration of this forest in the midst of a city is a unique and remarkable achievement, embodying the contemporary concept of nature positivity (conservation and restoration of nature).
The call to “protect and create forests” aligns with the SDG of the Sustainable Development Goals set forth by the United Nations, and addresses 21st-century challenges like global warming and biodiversity loss. Today, the conservation of existing forests alone is insufficient to meet urgent environmental needs. Creating new forests is vital for restoring nature and achieving harmony between humanity and the earth, ensuring a sustainable future.
However, creating forests is a long-term endeavor that requires patience and continuous effort. I hope that the publication of the photo book Miracle Forest EXPO ’70, marking its 50th anniversary, will inspire and encourage those involved in nature conservation and restoration projects.
Hata Yoshio
Outline
1950 | Born in Kyoto |
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1973 | Graduated from Doshisha University, Faculty of Law |
1979 | Published Voices of the Wind —Mount Osore in Camera Mainichi |
1984 | Curated the works of Eugene Smith and Aileen Smith Minamata in Osaka Human Rights Museum |
1986 | Directed the exhibition Works of Eiko Yamazawa in Yurakucho Asahi Gallery, Tokyo and ABC Gallery, Osaka |
1987 | Directed the exhibition Contemporary Photography of America in Osaka Prefectural Information and Culture Center Conceptualized and produced the Expo'90 Photography Museum in The International Garden and Greenery Exposition, Osaka, Japan |
1990 | Produced the publication and exhibition Tomatsu Shomei / Sakura, Sakura, Sakura in Brain Center and Loft Forum Umeda, Osaka |
1991 | Donated EARTHSCAPE photography collection of the Expo'90 Photography Museum to Osaka Prefecture |
1992 | Opened the "Photography Library" for photography books and contemporary art catalogs |
1993 | Appointed Associate Professor of Photography Class, Design Department, Seian University of Art and Design (became Professor in 2000) |
1996 | Established the Intermedium Institute and IMI "Graduate School" program and became General Manager |
2002 | Appointed Professor of Media Informatics, School of Policy Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University |
2008 | Established the Science Video Society and became Executive Director and Secretary-General |
2012 | Produced Disaster Prevention Digital Encyclopedia, a media mix project in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake |
2018 | Appointed Director of the Osaka International Media Library (a general incorporated association) Appointed General Director of the "University of Photographic Expression E-School" (Video/Music Courses) |
2021 | Began lifelong photography work in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of "Miracle Forest EXPO ‘70" |
Prize
1986 | Received the Sakuyakonohana Award (Osaka City Award for Emerging Artists in Culture and the Arts) |
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1994 | Won the Grand Prix for Directorial Work at the Kyoto International Film Festival Hi-Vision Festa '94 |
Solo Exhibition
2024 | Miracle Forest EXPO '70. The Third Gallery Aya, Osaka, Japan |
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1990 | Hanako the Biomechaloid. Osaka Human Rights Museum, Osaka, Japan |
1988 | biomachine. Gallery Haku, Japan |
1986 | THE SIGNAL. Pine Hill Gallery, Seoul, Korea |
1984 | MODERN DOWN —The Closure of a 68-Year-Old Spinning Factory—. Gallery DOT, Kobe, Japan THE SIGNAL. Gallery Wide, Tokyo, Japan |
1983 | Visual Play —Costumes of Shimabara Tayū—. Kitano Circus, Kobe, Japan |
Group Exhibition
1997 | The Age of Reproduction. Hara Museum ARC, Shibukawa, Japan |
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1992 | 3rd Rotterdam Photo Biennale. (Invitational Solo Exhibition HANAKO. Schiedam Municipal Museum, Schiedam, Netherlands) |
1985 | 24 Hours in Japan —Through the Eyes of 100 Photographers from Around the World. |
Publication
2024 | Miracle Forest EXPO‘70. Osaka: Brain Center |
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2014 | Produced the Japanese edition of Basic Facts about the United Nations. Osaka: Kwansei Gakuin University Press |
1990 | HANAKO: Days Spent with the Biomechaloid "Hanako". Osaka: Brain Center |
1985 | Columbus making a west wind arise : portraits of young artists. Osaka: Brain Center |
1980 | Youth Without a Jersey Number. Osaka: Brain Center |
Public Collection
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan The Museum of Modern Art, Wakayama Osaka Human Rights Museum, Osaka, Japan Schiedam Municipal Museum, Schiedam, Netherlands |
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