The Mass gallery in Harajuku, Tokyo, is hosting a collaborative project called "War and Flowers" with AMKK (Azuma Makoto, Flower and Tree Research Institute), led by flower artist Azuma Makoto, from July 20th to August 15th.


"AMKK" is a collective led by flower artist Azuma Makoto, developing experimental creations based on flowers and plants. Their work seeks to enhance the value of plants by discovering the most mysterious forms unique to flowers and plants and transforming and expressing them on an artistic level. This exhibition, based on the theme of "War and Flowers," features images of war and flowers collected by Azuma Makoto and others over the past seven or eight years. It also features photographs on the subject of war from various perspectives, collected with the cooperation of Magnum Photos, an international photography group; the Asahi Shimbun Photo Archive, which has a vast collection of photojournalism; and Kyodo News Images. From birth to death, people have lived side by side with flowers in various aspects of their lives, from celebratory flowers to flowers of encouragement, from flowers of mourning to flowers of prayer. People offer flowers, entrusting their inexpressible emotions, wishes, and compassion to the beautiful, blooming appearance and fleeting life of flowers. This act can also be glimpsed in one of the most horrific chapters in human history: war. This exhibition aims to connect the seemingly contradictory elements of "war" and "flowers" through a number of photographs, hoping to provide as many people as possible, especially young people, with an opportunity to confront war and reflect deeply on their desire for peace.