ASIA SOCIETY PRESENTS
Can We Feed Ourselves? A Focus on Asia:
Photographs by Hiroji Kubota

January 31 through April 1, 2001

"...as one man's enlightened view of a world that most of us know dangerously little about, it's an eye-opener."
Grace Glueck, New York Times, February 9, 2001

Opening on January 31 (through April 1), the Asia Society presents an exhibition of photographs by renowned photojournalist, Hiroji Kubota. Can We Feed Ourselves? A Focus on Asia: Photographs by Hiroji Kubota will be on view at the Asia Society at Midtown, 502 Park Avenue (at 59th Street), New York City. (Asia Society at Midtown is the Society's interim location while its uptown headquarters is undergoing renovations to be completed in Fall 2001).

For more than twenty years Hiroji Kubota has traveled and photographed the countries and cultures of Asia, continually finding compelling evidence that Asia is facing an imminent crisis of food production, population explosion and environmental destruction. During the past two years he has dedicated himself to documenting this crisis through his lens and to bringing it to the attention of the West. Kubota states that "it truly pained me to turn my camera towards these people, but we must not turn away from this reality."

According to Vishakha N. Desai, Senior Vice President of the Asia Society and Director of the Galleries and Cultural Programs, "The pictures in this exhibition are a wake-up call to all of us, and yet, they are at the same time, remarkably beautiful works of art. They testify to the power of the people to innovate and to survive incredible adversity. They depict memorable scenes not just of impoverishment, but of courage and a capacity for endurance. We are proud to join forces with Magnum to present this important and moving exhibition to New York audiences."

Together with accompanying public programs, the Asia Society's exhibition of Kubota's work, comprised of 67 color photographs, offers multiple perspectives on the most serious economic and social problems threatening Asia. Can We Feed Ourselves? A Focus on Asia: Photographs by Hiroji Kubota presents one man's documentary vision of a continent simultaneously ravaged by poverty and malnutrition and uplifted through hope and courage. Throughout the exhibition, a penetrating understanding of his subjects, an eye for dramatic scenes and a superb sense of color distinguish Kubota's photographs.

In the postscript to the exhibition catalogue, Kubota presents the idea that the welfare of many Asian citizens has reached a crisis point. He explains that the plight of the poor is often eclipsed by recent growth in certain Asian economic sectors and by people who are "preoccupied with the idea of 'progress'."

One image of a Burmese rice farmer in the exhibition at the Asia Society is a just such an example of a population not progressing, but one that is sinking into economic despair. This photograph serves as a reminder that a country once the world's largest exporter of rice is now struggling to feed its own people. Still, the image conveys a sense of beauty and serenity as the farmer's sun-darkened face watches his golden rice cascade to the ground.

An overriding theme of Kubota's selection of subjects to photograph is contrast. In the caption of one of his photographs, Kubota points out that on the riverside of the Mekong in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, extreme poverty and wealth live side by side. In this photograph, a young boy stands knee-deep in dirty water and searches for small fish that have escaped from the large fishing boat looming next to him. Only feet away from this boy, travelers find a casino boat and one of Cambodia's finest hotels; yet, the boy concentrates on his catch with a look of surprise and happiness to have found a fish that fits in the palm of his hand.

With its breathtaking bird's-eye view of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, another image illustrates the theme of contrast in a different, yet equally powerful, way. Though the massive peaks and valleys of the landscape dwarf the farmers' dwellings, the terraced fields, which are carved into the mountains, affirm that these farmers do not struggle against the awesomeness of nature in order to survive. Instead, they learn how to work with it, despite often ostensibly impossible circumstances.

While many of the photographs in Can We Feed Ourselves? are strikingly sobering images, certainly meant to convey the immediacy and reality of the food crisis in Asia, the images are far from sentimental. Rather, the people and the landscapes in Kubota's photographs retain a sense of dignity and beauty.

Hiroji Kubota, a member of Magnum Photos, is one of the most eminent
photographic chroniclers of Asia. As a photo-reporter in 1975, Kubota covered the fall of Phnom Penh and Saigon. Stimulated by his experience in Vietnam, Kubota subsequently turned his attention to other parts of Asia. He is currently working on a major book on his homeland, Japan.

The photographs in this exhibition appear courtesy of Hiroji Kubota and Magnum Photos. Curator for the Asia Society is Colin MacKenzie. Can We Feed Ourselves? A Focus on Asia: Photographs by Hiroji Kubota is made possible by NHK Joho Network, Nikkei, Ronald J. Anderson and Magnum Photos.

A catalogue published by Magnum accompanies the exhibition. It will be available at AsiaStore for $15.

Related Programs

The Asia Society will present a number of related programs in conjunction with the exhibition. On Monday, January 29th, there will be a panel discussion entitled Feeding Ourselves: Strategies and Solutions to End Hunger in Asia. Nitin Desai, United Nations Under Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs will deliver the keynote address. Roy Posterman, two-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize and President of the Rural Development Institute, along with other guests, will participate in the panel discussion. The discussion will take place from 5:00 - 6:30 P.M. at The Lighthouse International, 111 East 59th Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues).

On Tuesday, January 30th, Hiroji Kubota will give a lecture entitled Can We Feed Ourselves? The lecture is presented by the Asia Society and will take place at 6:00 P.M. at the Lighthouse International, 111 East 59th Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues).

On Tuesday, February 13th at 6:30 P.M., poet Bernadette Mayer will give a reading of selections from Studying Hunger, along with other of her works, in the gallery at Asia Society at Midtown, 502 Park Avenue (at 59th Street).

On Wednesday, March 13 at 6:30 P.M. the Asia Society presents the film Bhopal Express at the Directors Guild Theater, 110 West 57th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues). A love story unfolds against the backdrop of the devastating Union Carbide plant gas leak in Bhopal, India, December 1984.

Asia Society

The Asia Society is America's leading institution dedicated to fostering understanding of Asia and communication between Americans and the peoples of Asia and the Pacific. A nonprofit, nonpartisan educational institution, the Asia Society presents a wide range of programs including major art exhibitions, performances, media programs, international conferences and lectures, and initiatives to improve elementary and secondary education about Asia. The Asia Society is headquartered in New York City, with regional centers in Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Melbourne, Australia, and representative offices in San Francisco, Seattle, Manila and Shanghai. For more information, contact the Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10021. (212) 288-6400. (www.asiasociety.org). Note: While the Asia Society headquarters building is undergoing renovations (to be completed Fall 2001), visit us at our interim location, Asia Society at Midtown, 502 Park Avenue (at 59th Street), New York City.

# # #