(Nobuhiro Shimura’s “Afternote: In the Shade of Cinema” exhibition at The Japan Foundation Gallery. Photo by: Khanh Linh Pham, 2024)
“Afternote: In the shade of cinema”, is a new exhibition by Japanese artist Nobuhiro Shimura, running from September 13, 2023, to March 1, 2025, at the Japan Foundation Sydney.
The exhibition, along with a 79-minute documentary directed by Shimura, takes a nostalgic journey back to the golden age of local cinemas in Yamaguchi, Japan – a reflection of the universal decline of traditional cinemas worldwide.
Both Shimura and the curator Yu Iseki were at the Japan Foundation on September 14th, 2024, for an artist talk with Sydney visitors.
(Sydney visitors joined artist Nobuhiro Shimura and curator Yu Iseki for an artist talk on September 14 at The Japan Foundation. Photo by: Khanh Linh Pham, 2024)
About the Artist:
Nobuhiro Shimura is working as a contemporary artist in Chiba.
(A still from the documentary, showing an artist working with video installations in YCAM Centre. Photo by: Khanh Linh Pham, 2024)
‘I used to work as a projectionist for 35mm films in 2013. As I held the heavy and dense quality films in my hand, I came to appreciate what the images mean’, Shimura said during his artist talk. That experience inspired Shimura to continuously work on video installations, showcasing everyday objects and landscapes.
In recent years, Shimura has focused on social issues and local histories that are difficult to visualise.
UNEARTHING YAMAGUCHI’S LOCAL CINEMA HERITAGE
Curator Iseki said that as he and Shimura began the research, they left the output open-ended, which made the 2-year process much more surprising.
“Afternote” is a ‘postscript’ of people holding dear memories of the theatre, and the “traces” that only existed in their memories.
‘The project is not about the movies themselves, but about the personal emotional investment of both the cinema owner and residents, and their passionate energy with going to the movies’. said Shimura during his artist talk.
The exhibition pieces together precious photos and film footage, and personal collections like tickets or hand paintings of signboards.
(Some old photos collected by Nobuhiro Shimura and curator Yu Iseki. Photo by: Khanh Linh Pham, 2024)
‘Gathering memories equals preserving them’, said Shimura.
This collection sheds light on the Yamaguchi residents past lives in different ways, evoking feelings of seeing the films when TV was not popular. As TV gradually gained popularity, the number of cinemagoers declined, and more than ten local movie theatres in the region closed.
During its time at YCAM Centre in Yamaguchi last year, the exhibition included screenings of old movies and interactive activities. Shimura believed this would help the audiences ‘live with the experience’. Normally, the YCAM centre mainly attracts young audiences, but this exhibition has driven wider demographics to the centre.
For the Sydney exhibition, Shimura and Iseki carefully selected familiar movie posters to resonate with local audiences.
‘This was my first opportunity to present Afternote outside Yamaguchi’, said Shimura. He also shared a touching moment when a Sydney visitor pointed out the Rebecca film poster which reminded her of the first book she ever read in her life.
‘It was heartwarming to know the items on display could evoke such personal memories.’
(A Japanese-Australian woman and her husband visited the exhibition, reminiscing about her past memories of going to the cinema. Photo by: Khanh Linh Pham, 2024)
A DOCUMENTARY ROOTED IN PERSONAL STORIES
The 79-minute film that accompanies the exhibition blends Shimura’s documentary techniques with a folkloristic perspective, offering a window into the memories of Yamaguchi residents during the 1960s, a time when local cinemas were thriving. Shimura conducted interviews with a wide range of people. Among the interviewees were cinema owners and the bakery owner who sold pastries to the cinemas.
‘I remember as kids, the guard used to allow us as little kids, to watch the screenings for free. In exchange, we stayed after to put up the chairs’, an old man in the film fondly recalled. Some people had fascinating stories but preferred not to be recorded, so Shimura used their words as narrator lines for the documentary.
Interestingly, the narration was done in Spanish, a creative decision that reflects Yamaguchi’s historical ties to Spain and adds a layer of international resonance.
Shimura’s approach to storytelling is deeply influenced by his view of memory. ‘Memory is beautifully imperfect’, he said. In “Afternote”, Shimura deliberately chose not to focus on a single protagonist, instead weaving together fragments from over 200 interviews.
His use of a folkloristic approach aligns with this fragmented narrative style. Shimura intentionally avoids creating a traditional protagonist, leaving space for the audience to form their own interpretations and personal reflection. His method invites viewers to connect emotionally with the material, making the experience deeply personal for each individual.
(A still from the documentary. Photo by: Khanh Linh Pham, 2024)
The documentary is shown daily at the Japan Foundation. There is a space for the audiences to sit back and watch the documentary.
FROM LOCAL TO UNIVERSAL VOICES
‘The decrease in the number of downtown movie theatres is a global phenomenon that has occurred all over the world’, Shimura said.
Brad Gillespie, one of Australia’s leading experts in real estate professionals, highlights on his site that Sydney’s inner west was also once a cultural hub, home to grand theatres that were integral to community life, which was much like the movie theatres in Yamaguchi.
The Empire Picture Theatre in Redfern, for example, opened in 1925, later became commercial offices, erasing its cinematic history.
The decline of Sydney’s local cinemas mirrors Shimura’s global observations: as the theatres vanish, so do the shared cultural experiences they fostered, leaving gaps in the city’s collective memory.
‘When something disappears, people would say we shouldn’t have let it go and lost it’, Shimura highlighted in his talk.
(A historical photo from the collection displayed in the exhibition, showcasing a crowd in a cinema. Photo by: Khanh Linh Pham)
Shimura’s work serves as both a tribute and a cautionary tale about the fragility of cultural institutions in an ever-modernising world. The exhibition and documentary screening are running until March 2025 at the Japan Foundation.
