Michael Kenna’s Beautiful Fukushima opens at Kostuik Gallery in Vancouver

Kostuik Gallery is showing 50 new photographs by British photographer Michael Kenna from October 15 to November 1 in Vancouver. The series reflects on Fukushima’s recovery 15 years after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, with an opening reception set for Oct. 15 and a signed limited-edition portfolio available at the event.

Why it matters: - Beautiful Fukushima turns a major disaster site into a long-view story about recovery, memory and landscape. - The Vancouver show gives Canadian audiences a first look at the exhibition after its debut in Japan and stops across Europe and the U.S. - The opening adds a commercial dimension, with a signed limited-edition mini-collotype portfolio available for purchase.

What happened: - Kostuik Gallery is presenting Beautiful Fukushima, a new body of work by British photographer Michael Kenna. - The exhibition runs Oct. 15-Nov. 1 at the gallery in Vancouver. - An opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15, from 5-7 p.m., with Kenna in attendance. - The show features 50 sepia-toned silver gelatin photographs.

The details: - The series marks 15 years since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. - Kenna frames the work as a reflection on Fukushima’s recovery and on what endures after loss. - The exhibition debuted in Japan earlier this fall and has traveled through Europe and the United States before arriving in Canada. - Kenna described Fukushima through the ideas of kintsugi and the phoenix, calling those metaphors fitting for the region’s regeneration. - Jennifer Kostuik, owner and director of the gallery, said the images find hope in a difficult subject. - Kenna first appeared at Kostuik Gallery in a 2019 group exhibition, and this show is his 2026 solo return to the gallery. - Gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. - The exhibition is at 1070 Homer Street in Vancouver. - The gallery says to follow its Instagram for exhibition updates.

Between the lines: - Kenna’s work leans on slow, contemplative photography rather than documentary urgency. - His long exposures, often made at dawn or night, aim to capture details beyond normal human vision. - The sepia-toned, hand-printed process reinforces the show’s emphasis on craft, memory and permanence. - The Canadian stop also extends the reach of a body of work that already has strong institutional and international credibility. - Kenna has published 47 books and has work in the permanent collections of major museums including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum. - France named Kenna an Officier des Arts et des Lettres in 2022, and his life archive of more than 3,600 original prints and 175,000 negatives spanning 43 countries became part of the permanent collection of the French State.

What's next: - Visitors can see the exhibition through Nov. 1. - Collectors can buy the signed mini-collotype portfolio at the opening reception. - Kostuik Gallery is likely using the show to reinforce its profile as a Vancouver venue for established international artists.

The bottom line: - Beautiful Fukushima uses a major environmental recovery story to connect fine art, place and resilience in a compact Vancouver exhibition.