a special Shima no Ama evening
On the occasion of the Kusukazu Uraguchi. Shima no Ama exhibition, Huis Marseille has invited its curator Sonia Voss to throw her light on the eighty fascinating black and white photographs she selected from the monumental archive of this Japanese photographer. She will be sharing her knowledge along with background stories in a one-hour lecture.
Starting in the mid-1950s, Kusukazu Uraguchi (1922–1988) turned his camera toward the ama, a community of Japanese female fishers and divers in the Shima region, where the photographer himself was born. The intimate and powerful photographs bear exceptional witness to their way of life and to a profession that is steadily disappearing. For many centuries, the place of the ama within the Japanese imagination—their sensual bond with the water, their fearlessness, and their sovereignty—has inspired poets and artists. First shown in 2024 during the international photography festival Les Rencontres d’Arles, the exhibition at Huis Marseille has been expanded with additional photographs, a new video compilation, and recently restored vintage wooden panels.
Uraguchi’s archive, which contains tens of thousands of negatives and served as the starting point for this exhibition, had not been studied since his death. The rediscovery of this remarkable material is thanks to Sonia Voss, who took the initiative, immersed herself in the archive, curated the exhibition in Arles, and is now also the guest curator of the exhibition at Huis Marseille.
About the curator
Author and curator Sonia Voss (1978) lives and works in Paris and Berlin. Her research into East German photography led to the exhibition Restless Bodies (Rencontres d’Arles, 2019) and several related publications with Editions Xavier Barral/Atelier EXB, Koenig Books, and Hatje Cantz. Her research has since expanded to Eastern Europe. She curated the Louis Roederer Discovery Award (Les Rencontres d’Arles, 2021). She also works closely with artists such as Isabelle Le Minh and Tarrah Krajnak. Additionally, she conducts archival research, including on George Shiras, whom she introduced to the public in 2016 through the exhibition In the Heart of the Dark Night at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris.
Program
18:30 – Walk-in
19:00 – Start conversation
20:00 – Closing with drinks
21:00 – Museum closes
The conversation will take place in the Grote Zaal.
The exhibition is produced by Les Rencontres d’Arles.
Language: English
Max. participantsLimited capacity, please order a ticket through the link
CostAdmission excl. museum ticket: €12,50
