Fukushima(then)Now_After – Rice Field 2024
This picture shows the transition of a certain spot in the fukushima exclusion zone that went from uninhabitable to a place of hope and full of life.
Fukushima(then)Now_After – Elementary School 2024
Note: The text above was written by the Artist. No modification was made by COCA.
Benjamin Kis
Germany
Benjamin Kis (b. 1986, Munich, Germany; based in Munich) is a photographic artist whose practice is rooted in documentary and portraiture. Working predominantly with long-term documentary projects, he is best known for his objective explorations of temporal transformations, utilizing the camera’s lens as a means to methodically observe subtle and overt shifts in subjects and their surroundings.
Kis’s artistic inquiry centers on the gradual evolution of the people and places he documents, foregrounding the passage of time as a critical element of his work. This thematic approach is exemplified in his ongoing series, Fukushima(then)Now_After (2015–2024), wherein the artist has repeatedly returned to specific radiated zones in Fukushima, meticulously recreating identical photographic angles and vantage points to chronicle change and continuity. Through this sustained engagement, Kis interrogates concepts of memory, resilience, and the imprint of history on both human lives and enviroment