“Manda-la Somewhere” shines a spotlight on Masahiro Usami’s long-running “Manda-la” series—a photographic project that attempts to capture the people of a place, along with their culture, history,and social context, within a single frame, much like a Buddhist mandala. Built upon deep research and countless onversations with locals, each work unfolds as a visual tapestry of the region’s collective memory, often taking years to complete. Having begun during his student years and now spanning over 25 years, the project has become nothing short of Usami’s life’s work. Notably, his refusal to use any digital compositing—relying instead on meticulously staged scenes and a theatrical sense of composition—has earned critical acclaim as a unique photographic expression.

This exhibition brings together the full arc of the series, from early portraits of friends to his most recent piece, Obayashi Harumi, Higashihiroshima 2024. Created just last year, this monumental work interweaves the wartime history of Higashihiroshima—when residents risked their lives to aid atomic bomb victims—with the region’s enduring sake-brewing culture. Also on view is Hayashi Yuriko,Hiroshima 2014, a powerful photograph realized with the cooperation of over 500 locals after repeated visits to the city. It stands as a heartfelt plea to carry the memory of war into the future.

As we mark 80 years since the end of World War II, we hope this exhibition serves not only as a mirror to the past but as a prompt to consider the future.