Chairman's Foreword Tomio Tsukui| Nasunogahara International Sculpture Symposium in Ohtawara2011

Chairman's Foreword Tomio Tsukui

First of all, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to all the people who passed away due to the last disastrous earthquake and tsunami. Also I would like to express my concern for those people who had huge losses after the awful tragedy. You can recognise a lot of damages even in Ohtawara and we are doing our best to restore and reconstruct our hometown. In such circumstances, it counts up to 15 times of hosting “The Nasunogahara International Sculpture Symposium in Ohtawara” this year. This event began from 1997 and exhibits the execution of sculptures during the period of 50 days in order to give opportunities of art appreciation to many citizens of Ohtawara so that they can actually feel the beauty and fun of sculptures and our respectable culture can be more developed. We have invited 4 artists not only from other domestic regions but also from South Korea and Netherlands this year. The period of the event (the latter half of July – the former half of September) overlaps such a season that it keeps severely hot and we are likely to encounter sudden thunderstorms. And recently, we have held the events, struggling with severer climatic conditions. But each of the artists has always been well dedicated to facing a single piece of stone or wood and created the marvellous work in a diligent way. Chateau de L’Espoir (Ohtawara-shi Fureai no Oka), the site of symposium, is also being used as the shelter for those people who suffer from the earthquake and tsunami now. They are obliged to live on great inconvenience and spending days with anxiety. We will be so glad if they are relieved and smile again in this event. Please have a visit to the symposium by all means. We hope that you exchange so close with the artists as if you can feel every moment of their breathings and enjoy how their works are carried out. We believe that it fulfils your heart with energy.