Witnessing War: Ogawa Kazumasa and Visual Culture in Early Twentieth-Century Japan (at Bowdoin College Art Museum, through Dec. 15, 2024)

This exhibition explores the social, cultural, and political changes taking place in Japan during the Meiji Restoration (1868–1912) through the work of Ogawa Kazumasa. One of Japan’s most prolific early photographers and publishers, Ogawa’s oeuvre included rural landscapes, geisha in Tokyo, lush flowers, ancient temples, and international conflicts—a visual record that documented the tensions of a society in transition. This exhibition focuses on a 32-volume photographic album Ogawa published featuring scenes from the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). Featuring selections that show field hospitals, prisoners of war, exploding cannon-fire, troops on campaigns, and more, Witnessing War explores the connections between photography, propaganda, mass media, imperialism, and global conflict at the turn of the twentieth century.

More details at https://www.bowdoin.edu/art-museum/exhibitions/2024/ogawa-kazumasa.html