Nikon - Stop Censoring Ahn Sehong!
Korean Photographer Ahn Sehong has been documenting the lives of former 'Comfort Women' - women who were forced to work as sex-slaves during World War 2. It is a sensitive issue even in modern Japan as it concerns war crimes committed by the Imperial Japanese Army and the establishment would prefer it was not discussed.
He was being sponsored by Nikon & due to have the work shown at the prestigious Nikon Salon in Tokyo, whose mission statement is - "To pursue the meaning of photography: the expression of ideas".
However after protests from certain extremist political groups within Japan the exhibition has been cancelled and funding ceased.
Ahn Sehong is also said to have been subject to personal abuse, harassment and threats according to Japan Daily & CNN.
Nikon UK wont comment on the issue except to say that their corporate support has been withdrawn for "various reasons". We say that's not good enough and they should actively support not supress such important, albeit difficult work - and that the removal of funding is eqivalent to censorship.
The Japan Visual Journalist Association has also condemned Nikon's behaviour for violating freedom of expression.
We're gathering signatures to send an open letter to Nikon, UK & Japan in the hope of making them see sense and show Anh Se-Hong's photographs. The letter will also be sent to the national and international press.
We've already got a Magnum member and a number of well known veteran photographers on our side.
But we need to add plenty of signatures from photographers, professional or enthusiast.
NB only your name will be added. Your email address or other details will not be retained or passed onto anyone.
The draft text is below.
Thank you & keep on shooting! .
An Open Letter to Nikon
To Mr. Yojiro Yamaguchi, Managing Director of Nikon UK
Dear Mr Yamaguchi
We are writing to you concerning Nikon's withdrawal of sponsorship from the photographer Ahn Sehong, and his important work with the 'Comfort Women' of Korea.
It has been reported that the Nikon Salon has cancelled his exhibition due to nature of the subject matter and because of political pressure from within Japan. This is effectively censorship.
You will of course be aware of the power of the photographic image to reveal the world, witness history and speak truth to power.
Images taken using Nikon equipment have often shone light into dark corners and improved the human condition.
The photograph is a crucial part of the matrix in free and fair societies and it is essential that photographers who are undertaking important and difficult work such as Ahn Sehong should be allowed to work without the interference of narrow political interests.
In the past your company has provided a great deal of financial and practical support to photographers who otherwise would not have had
their work seen, and in return we have helped to make Nikon a premier
brand, by supporting your products in a competitive market.
The mission of the Nikon Salon is, as I am sure you are aware, "to pursue the true meaning of photography: the expression of ideas". We, the undersigned, as professional and enthusiast photographers, believe that the withdrawal of sponsorship of Ahn Sehong's work is contrary to the spirit and stated aims of the Nikon Salon and we urge you show his work.
Yours faithfully
Signatories
Pam Milo, Patrick Eden, Rob Funcken, Mal Case-Green, Andy Buchanan, Hannah J Taylor, Matt Cant, Margaret Yescombe, Tom Meerman, Jeremy Hilder Andrew Farrell
, Peter Bowater
, Georgina Bowater
, Glyn Davies,
Ken Crook,
Jon Ryan,
Andrew Gordon
, Chris Townsend,
David Levene
, Magnus Andersson
, David Preutz
, Mark Pinder
, Doug Williams
, Yee Ling
, Terry Carole,
Tim Allen
, Tim Mitchell,
Henry Boogert,
Graham Mitchell
, Richard Hanson
, Andy Butler
, Asha Asha
, Jim Barber
, Andi Sapey
, David White
, Joost DeRaeymaeker
, Woong-Jae Shin
, Miquel Gonzalez
, Conor Greenan
, Andre Malerba,
Mark Bullimore
, Andre Regini
, Sean Johnson
, John Robb
, Lee JuYeun
, Charlie Varley,
Wendy Carrig
, Martin Lesanto-Smith
, Allan Johnston
, Omer Babadag
, Celia Smith
, Si-Nae Jang
, Haesung Choi
, Kwangsu Lee
, Rina Yoon
, Byoung Woo Kim,
Popho E.S. Bark-Yi,
Jong Myong-Park,
Kyuman Sim
, Hokyeong Jung,
Julie Shin,
David Gregory
, V.P. Miyu
, Holger Grafen,
Ian Shipley,
Matthias Ley
, Michael Wilkinson,
Hyonin Hany Lee
, Timo Vogt
, Richard Brown,
John Fowler
, Conor Masterson
, Barry Cronin
, Jonathan Keenan
, Soody Ahmad
, Iris Moon
, Tim Motion
, Theo Moye
, Ben Huang
, Kenichi Shindo
, David Finch
, Antonia Reeve
, Laurence Underhill
, David Firn,
Indra Moonen
, Lesley Sparks
, Kenny Brown
, Rita Leistner
, Simon P Barlow,
Watai Takeharu,
Barry Keaveny,
Mari Motomura
, Kar Cheung,
Paolo Patrizi
, Asumi Nakashima
, Johan Hallberg Campbell
, Dr.Donald H Gutteridge, Jeremy Nicholl, Tony Smyth, Julian de Lorenzo, Ciara Leeming, Maxim Batsyn, Ruben Neugebauer, Kenny Brown, Shantelle Blackman, Bas de Meijer, Gemma Thorpe, Peter Dixie, Delmi Avarez, Charmain Lee, Karolyne Kerr, Shazade Jameson, Claire Taylor, Gabriel Huppmann, Tormod Carstens, Ewa Hermanowicz, John Lambrichts, Hae-in Hong, Andrew Conroy, Kim JongSuk, Takashi Morizumi, Prof. Chong-Rak Kim, Jiyoung Park, Manu Palomeque,Sunkyoung Yun, Jennifer Turner, Chae No,Hyekyung Jin, Jihoon Lee, Stella Sunwoo, Joanne Yu, Lee Ki-Tae, YJ Kim, Simon de Trey-White, Eunju Hong,Bruno Schroder, Sebastian Evans, Taegyung Kang, Garry Platt, Damen Stephens, Adrian Storey,Alex Rumford, Steve Merrick, Abeera Kamran, Jason Weddington, Giovanni Grandi ,Thomas Hammerlund, Alfie Goodrich, Seolhyang Keum, Jason Arney, Hyungsun W. Tchoe, James Brunker, Henry Arvidsson, Christopher Livsey, Gregory Morton, Jay Dee, Peter Evans, Michael Carrithers, Joël I. Malala, Mike Cannone, Debbe Cannone, Park SeungHwa, Erwin Tan, Eo Hyosun, Andreas Braem, Michael J. Amphlett, Wolfgang Bechstein, Jong Kyun, Tomoki Kubota, Hyeonho Lee, Terry Andrews, Kim Soo Ja,Stephen Ashton, Andy Thorne, Seunghee Hong, Mark Bourdillon,Andy Crouch, Paul Nybo Andersen, Leon Neal,
Warrick Page, Leon Neal, Peter Conzelman, Raymond Gao, Stefanie Le, David Bivins, Travis Thang Hoang Le Do, Kate McCutchen, Gianmarco Mongardi, Ales Litomisky, Sven Ratzel, Nick Boon,Ginny Singh, Nina Bindra, Jossi "Boyz" Bieber,Daniel Richards, Sadiq Majid, Jean Harrington, Don SMith, Tomoco Smith,
Andy Barton, Helmut Gruenbichler, Robert Koak, Jeannine Brewer, Dan Power, Alec Murrell, Diana Khor, Jenny Chen, Adam Fondren, C.W. Hayes, M.D. FACS, Mark Woodward, Kaitlin Bledsoe, Timo Ryttäri, Martijn Vlug-Mahabali, Richard Baker, Kim Yun Suk, Ricky Lai, Roger Hur, Rafael Morales, Jin Kim, Grant Dixon, James Cooke, Barbara Cooke, Kaitlin Bledsoe, CheeWai Lum, Mahn England, John Amiet, Soichi Hayashi, CD Puech, Philip Batey, David R. Hufford, Joost de Wert, Brian Parkes, Andy Whiteman, Martijn Vlug-Mahabali, Izumi Tanaka, Mike Brownlow, Larry A. Fiebert,Richard Kang, Hooman Fasihi, Chris Moorhouse, David Nicholson, Dayeon Lee, Alessio Baronetto, Mark Johnson, Ross Cormack, Mr Robert Weil, Mrs Caren Weil, Martin Bruntnell, Malcolm Cartledge, Mariano Gali, Gonzalo Martinez, Paul Martin-Matthews, Dei Arroyo Sanchis, Bernard Bowles, David J. Acocks, John Radburn, James McCulloch, Jim McDonald, Paul D Moore, Fred Aquilino, Rob O'Callaghan, Muhammad Hanif Bay, Martin Plomer, Dr Patrick Green, Jo Oppenheimer, Col Walder, Diego Maciel, Frank Gresham, Fenneke Gonggrijp, Shane McMahon, Carlos E. Ortega, Eduardo Molina, Stephen Connolly, Phil Grant, Kev Panton, Allan Boult, Chung-Joon Hwang, Albert Park, Juanjo Gutiérrez, Kyu Kim, Sara Lee, Hojoon Lee, Lee Min, Jean Chung, Ian Kydd'Miller, Matthew Lamb, Laurence Peters, Sophie Bonifaz, Minho Park, Ken McCarthy, Sophie Sim, Leo Rumley, Natasha Brown, Steve Haigh, Kukmin Daily, Les Evans, Elaine H. Park, Min Ho Ki, Hong Yeji, Su Jin Hong, Hyun-Ju Jung, Elly Kim, Kim Tae-Soo, Hannah Hwang, Grace Choi, Tom Won, Woomi Han, Eduardo Sanz Nieto, Roberto Cislagh, Gabriel Bonino, Hwang Yoon Young, Anthony G Milner, Agnes Lisik, Marioli Donoso, Javier Chicon, Justin P Brown, Iris O Wong, John Vea Speer, Matthew Nam, Hija Yu, Joann Sorra, Leung Chiu, John Cross, Aram Eshelix Lee, John Paul Adams, Daniel Buttrey, Marcin R. Szulżycki, Roberto Rizzo Louzán. Nick Elliott, John McKie, Peter Morenus, HJ Alicia Nam, James Lee, Soonbin An, Carlos Juárez, Luis Arturo García Llampallas, Arkadiusz Gmurczyk, Andrew L. Schirmer, Kim Dae Hun, Boguslaw Koseda, Warwick de Winter, Henrik Muskos, John Umney, Jin Cho, Gene Glover, William Cumming, Gwilym Thear, Sachiko Otsuka, Kevin Chan, Gerald Chew, Peter Woodham, Peter Hainzl, Rob Thom.