Magnitude 9 exhibition

Something beautiful was lost in the torrent of horrific images that washed over the world in the wake of the March 11 Japanese tsunami.  Inner city residents and artists, Yann Audic and Naoko Nishizu, sought remind their community of the spirituality, sophistication and majestic natural beauty of Japan by organising the Magnitude 9 Exhibition, a charity effort which ran from May 11 to 15 at the Mils Gallery, Surry Hills. “We may not raise billions,” said Naoko. “But it feels a lot better than sitting around and doing nothing.”  But both the opening night of the exhibition and the Japanese Tea and Cake Day exceeded expectations in offering an irresistibly intriguing slice of Japanese culture, including free origami lessons. Yann and Naoko also showcased the skill of local talent by  auctioning the works of seven other Sydney based artists, with all proceeds directed to the Red Cross Japan and Pacific Disaster Relief.

With a career that has spanned the glamour and grit, Yann’s lens has captured everyone from swim wear models to the ghosts of Gorbachev in Russia and the Ukraine. But in coming to Redfern three years ago Yann became fixated by the inner city community, which he describes as distinct from others around the world in its fusion of diverse cultures with a welcoming, working class sensibility. “I was living one street from The Block,” he recounts. “I went to the South Sydney boxing club because wherever I go, I try not to be invisible; I want to be in the daily life and understand the identity of the people I am photographing.”

Naoko also loves the creativity of the inner city, but has personal connection to north eastern Japan and felt the suffering inflicted by the tsunami as it swept away the fishing village of Sundai, the birthplace of her relatives. Naoko also regrets that Japan had become synonymous with images of devastation.

“Instead, I wanted to show a really different image of Japan,” said Naoko. “Its eternal beauty.”

Think Shinto shrines, flowing and delicate Japanese calligraphy and of course, the humble paper crane.  The artworks also suggest that for the Japanese, nature is a religion, and Naoko hopes that the display will encourage people to return to Japan.

“Only part of the country has been destroyed. The rest remains, and it’s a lot of fun,” Naoko smiled.