The “Time Tunnel” series places the spotlight on the earliest works of artists who have subsequently risen to the pinnacle of their field. Exhibitions probe into the concepts and methods of artistic expression at the source of these artists’ success. They also introduce more recent and brand-new works, to give a comprehensive overview of the creative output of the featured artists.

The 24th exhibition in the “Time Tunnel” series will feature the works of Seiichi Motohashi, from his debut work titled Coal Mines to his trilogy focused on the Chernobyl disaster, to his latest project named “Baobab.”

Seiichi Motohashi first garnered attention in the 1990s with his photographs and documentary films shot in the region impacted by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion of 1986. For his photos of the scenic beauty of the surrounding area even after the accident and of the people who continue to live within the perimeter of the disaster zone, Motohashi won a host of awards, including the prestigious Domon Ken Award. Works from this period include the photo books Infinite Embrace (1994) and Nadja’s Village (1998), and the identically titled book and documentary film “Alexei and the Spring” (2002), for which Motohashi won accolades at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Motohashi’s debut work, Coal Mines from 1968, was a collection of photos shot at coal mines in Kyushu and Hokkaido. Throughout his career, Motohashi has maintained his photographic fascination with people thriving in their particular element, whether it be the circus, the mammoth train station at Ueno in Tokyo, or the metropolis’s huge Tsukiji Fish Market. In works such as these, Motohashi addresses the question of what, in today’s world of material wealth, constitutes true richness. Through the people captured in his photographs he mutely poses this question.

“Photographs and Films” will feature early efforts, hitherto unpublished, dating to Motohashi’s student years at Tokyo College of Photography, his most well-known works, and also his “Baobab” project currently in progress. The exhibition will take place simultaneously at Creation Gallery G8 and Guardian Garden.