During her year in Norway, Koretsune visited various places that are relevant to her interest in human-cetacean relationships from the past to the present. Working with local museums and individuals in Norway and Japan, she has studied historical texts and images of the whaling technology transfer era of the two countries from the end of the 19th century to the early 20th century. For the entire month of May 2023, she stayed in Tranøy, Hamarøy and sketched local narratives and her impressions of life with the sea in the area. Her research and fieldwork landed various ways of representation, including embroidery installation, watercolor drawing, and animation.
Koretsune's works were presented in two exhibitions (HumSam-biblioteket, UiO and Hamsungalleriet på Tranøy) and one project (Historisk Museum) this year in Norway. In this lecture, she will present how she has worked on art and research collaborations during her residency in Norway.
Bio: Sakura Koretsune is a visual artist originally from Ondo-cho, Kure city, Hiroshima, Japan. She studied Native Arts of Alaska, Painting, and Sculpture at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 2010. She studied at Tohoku University of Art & Design and received a master’s degree in Localized Design in 2017. Koretsune focuses on whaling, fishing, and maritime religions in her fieldwork. She represents stories related to cetaceans with essays and embroidery works. She is the publisher of a small press “Ordinary Whales”.
Website: www.sakurakoretsune.com
