Toshiya Murakoshi - Burn After Seiing

Toshiya Murakoshi
Burn After Seeing

Published by Libro Arte, 2014
Size: 25.5 x 22.5 cm
108 Pages
Hardcover
Signed by the artist

In "Burn After Seeing," Toshiya Murakoshi retraces the memory of his hometown of Sukagawa, Fukushima, through photographs of his parents' home and the surrounding landscape. The works in this book were created after the death of the artist's grandmother in 2009, which inspired him to rediscover his relationship with photography, document his family's memories, and explore his surroundings.

At dusk, small sparks of fire drew a soft line across the azure sky, and they were so close they looked like fireflies. And the flames only resonated when they were driven by a strong wind, scattering sparks all around them.
These sparks then disappeared as if attracted by the sky, which was becoming increasingly blue-black. As I followed these lights with my eyes, I wondered where they were going.
The color of the sky deepened further and I watched carefully as the small sparks appeared.
They had been blown away, stirred, and extinguished by the wind. As I looked at them again and again, night fell completely. My skin grew cold, and at that moment, I gradually felt a sense of loss similar to the one I experience when I have experienced something very important.
There were no more traces of fire on the road through the rice paddies. The wind was getting colder and colder. The stars shone brightly in the colorless night sky.

-Toshiya Murakoshi