Artist
Heshiki Kenshichi(Japanese, 1948–2009)Japanese, 1948–2009
CultureJapanese
Titles
- from the series Lungs of a Goat
Date1968
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 6 × 9 in. (15.2 × 22.9 cm)
Sheet: 8 × 10 in. (20.3 × 25.4 cm)
Sheet: 8 × 10 in. (20.3 × 25.4 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Morris Weiner
Object number2014.698
Not on view
Explore Further
Department
PhotographyObject Type
Heshiki Kenshichi focused his work on his hometown of Okinawa, Japan. These photographs, from his most famous series, Lungs of a Goat, depict the lives of Okinawa’s citizens. Asked to explain the title of the series, the artist noted, “Goats are the spitting image of Okinawa . . . a sort of symbol for Okinawan history and culture. The silent majority go about their work quietly, everyone shouldering their own burden through life. . . . The quiet looks directed at the camera in these photos speak eloquently for what was not said.”
ProvenanceThe artist, Okinawa, Japan, d. 2009; Estate of the artist, Okinawa, Japan, 2009; purchased by MFAH, 2014.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
verso in pencil: Japanese characters, 1968
verso lower right in pencil: Japanese characters-probably a signature
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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