Displayed in the exhibition are placards used at the ‘SHINING WOMAN PARADE’ held on April the 9th, 2022. Hideka Tonomura's SHINING WOMAN PROJECT portrays women fighting cancer. Tonomura is also an exhibiting artist in the KYOTOGRAPHIE main program: “10/10 Celebrating Contemporary Japanese Women Photographers”. Using the SHINING WOMAN PROJECT, Tonomura has worked to dispel preconceptions of gender stereotypes and cancer patients. This is the first parade held since the inception of the project in 2019. Participants and supporters walked on the streets of Kyoto with those featured in the project and their supporters. Although the parade was a one-day-only event, we aim to spread the project's message to a broader audience through this exhibition.
Femininity is not determined by one’ s body parts. Everything is a testament to choosing to live.
Women can always turn despair into strength and continue to let their beauty shine out.
The true meaning of shining lies in the power with which we fight for our lives.
Women who dream to see their children grow up.
Women who dream to become an adult and fall in love.
Anytime,
Anywhere,
Any case.
The essence of life is always beautiful.
All women are shining and I will continue to capture their radiance.
Text by: Hideka Tonomura
Sfera
12:00 - 18:00
Admission accepted 30 mins before the venue closes.
Born in 1979, in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, Hideka Tonomura graduated from the Broadcasting and Filmmaking Department of Osaka Visual Arts School and began photography in 2002. She published her first photobook mama love in 2008 with Akaaka Art Publishing, revealing her deepest pain and the dark, hidden secrets of her family, leaving an unforgettable impression. In 2013 she published They called me Yukari with Zen Foto Gallery, in which she documented the life and people around her when she was working as a hostess in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. Actively presenting her work in and out of Japan, her recent publications include orange elephant (Zen Foto Gallery, 2015), cheki (Morel Books, 2018), and die of love (Zen Foto Gallery, 2018). Hideka started the ‘SHINING WOMAN PROJECT’—a portrait project dedicated to women fighting cancer. She has also been active abroad, invited to participate in group exhibitions at the Daiwa Foundation Japan House Gallery in London in 2018, among others. A publication on the project was released in 2020. Her series ‘mama love’ will be exhibited at the group exhibition Love Songs of Maison Européenne de la Photographie in March, 2022.
