Heartfelt Art: Artist's Exhibition Supports 2011 Disaster Victims in Nagoya
NAGOYA – Since not long after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, a Japanese artist has been posting daily drawings of heart-shaped images online to show solidarity with those affected by the tragedy.
Kazuya Chabata, who is 69 years old, started his daily practice on March 28, 2011. The 5,099th creation was finished early in the morning of March 11 this year, marking the 14th anniversary since the disaster occurred. Some pieces from this series, including several prior ones, are showcased in an exhibit which commenced at Gallery Anri located in Nagoya’s Chikusa Ward on the same day as mentioned earlier.
When the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster hit northeast Japan in March 2011, Chabata—who lived in Nagoya—was occupied with bringing up his two daughters, Natsuki and Satsuki, alongside his spouse Hiromi. At that time, Natsuki was nearing her graduation from high school, whereas Satsuki was still studying in junior high school.
"It was unfeasible for this impoverished artist to either dispatch aid supplies or journey to the regions affected by disasters to distribute food. Therefore, I opted to post an illustration of a heart daily as a form of assistance within my means," Chabata recollected.
Each day, Chabata rises at 6:30 a.m. and completes an illustration using Photoshop by 8 a.m., subsequently uploading the final piece to Facebook. While he was hospitalized due to bowel cancer and additional health issues, his wife took over posting his creations on X (previously known as Twitter) and continued to handle their daily social media updates featuring his artwork.
At the age of 32, Natsuki embarked on a career as a graphic designer and began sharing her late father’s archival work on Instagram starting from December 4, 2024. This was triggered when the count of his heart drawings hit 5,000.
Via their social media engagements, the Chabatas established contact with personnel working on the dismantling of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was devastated during the 2011 disasters initiated by the massive earthquake off the coast of Tohoku. The duo organized art exhibits featuring heart-themed artworks along with other creations at a café gallery located in Iwaki City within Fukushima prefecture back in 2012 and 2017. Additionally, Chabata leads one segment of a grassroots organization advocating against nuclear energy use. "Fifteen years post-disaster, progress towards reconstructing Fukushima remains stagnant; they've barely cleared away as much radioactive material as could be scooped up by an ear pick," expressed Chabata sadly.
Hiroko Kado, aged 76 and owner of Gallery Anri, spoke to Chabata and requested that he host an annual exhibition featuring his heart illustrations each year on March 11 as a way to commemorate the 2011 tragedy. This tradition began on March 11, 2015, showcasing 1,446 heart drawings at the inaugural show. Since then, these exhibitions have taken place yearly without fail, making this upcoming one the 11th installment.
"Although Chabata had previously proposed ending the exhibition after a decade, he has successfully sustained it up until now," remarked a thankful Kado.
The ongoing exhibit showcases around 45 artworks picked from creations made within the last year, with each piece priced between 6,000 to 16,000 yen ($40 to $107). The gallery operates daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., closing early at 4 p.m. on March 17, the event’s concluding day. For additional details, contact Gallery Anri at: 052-762-5800.
(Originally written in Japanese by Yasuo Yamada from the Nagoya News Department)
