In Miwa Yanagi’s exhibit My Grandmothers, the photographer interviewed over twenty Japanese young women and asked them to detail their lives as grandmothers. Taking these narratives, Yanagi creates images which reenact these stories which her as the main role of grandmother.
These stories range from post-apocalyptic scenarios and sex workers to theme-park CEOs and Sleeping Beauty. What’s so fascinating about these images is how Yanagi has created a window in to the minds of Japanese female youths and the social conscious of contemporary Japanese society.
This one is my favorite. This who I hope to be when I am old, leading herds of my children across snowy fields and leading them on journeys and missions. No matter where I am, I would know that my children are there too…
What is your Grandmother story?
My grandma is the cause of a lot of my insecurities and emotional instability issues. I love her and we’re at a good point in our relationship, but I definitely don’t want to strive to become her brand of grandmother! I just want to be loved by my grandchildren and I want to be capable of not judging them, but rather loving them unconditionally.
Plus, I want to be cool and have lots of stories. Lol.