100th Anniversary of Chihiro Iwasaki’s Birth: Hope for Peace—An Exhibition of Piezographic Artwork

My experience of war, an experience that smashed all of the tender dreams of youth, greatly affected the course of my life. I genuinely love peace, abundance and lovely, pretty things and with all my being, I abhor the power that seeks to destroy them”

Chihiro Iwasaki, 1972

Chihiro Iwasaki spent her youth during a period when all of Japan was rushing headlong into war. As such, she confronted the reality that war destroys not only people’s lives, but also their hearts. Following World War II, Chihiro became an artist and, by creating illustrations of children throughout her life, continued to inquire into the nature of true abundance, kindness and beauty. Although her illustrations of children surrounded by love contrast with those of children exposed to warfare, both convey the artist’s wish for “peace and happiness for all the children of the world.”
In this exhibition we showcase piezographic artwork from Chihiro’s picture books based on the theme of war, including Watashi ga Chiisakatta Toki Ni (When I Was a Child) and Senka no Naka no Kodomo-tachi (Children in the Flames of War), along with Pochi no Kita Umi (What’s Fun without a Friend?), a picture book set at the seashore in summer.

*Piezography is a modern print technology used by the Chihiro Art Museum to digitally archive and create high-quality reproductions, called piezographic artwork, as a means of preserving the colors and textures of Chihiro’s artwork in its current state. Enabling highly detailed image representation using light-fast micro ink-dots, the technology greatly enhances the reproducibility of subtle watercolor paintings while also making possible the viewing of works under bright lighting.