From Japan, Steve McCurry brought back a dramatic visual record — his documentation of the devastating 2011 earthquake.
It was one of the greatest natural disasters in human history:
18,000 lives lost, entire towns wiped out, coastlines destroyed, and lingering fears of nuclear fallout.
Yet the Japanese people are marked by immense strength and dignity — a phoenix capable of rising again after every tragedy.
In silence, with tireless determination, they began rebuilding their country, swiftly regaining their resilience and pride.
While telling the story of this catastrophic event, McCurry searched for a symbolic image that could embody the epic struggle between humankind and the forces of nature.
He found it, in all its simplicity, in a broken mirror reflecting a human silhouette.
Pain and hope — two words that constantly return throughout McCurry’s work.