Finding Hope Book - Mathias Heng

“Finding Hope” is about the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake/tsunami and resulting Fukushima radiation crisis. The images were taken from 2011 to 2013. They capture the resilient spirit of the Japanese people who rose above the ordinary to display their indomitable courage and selflessness. The focus is on their moments of hardship, difficulties, recovery, rebuilding and most of all in their happier times in the rebuilding of their lives. My inspiration came from the resilient spirit of the Japanese people and my mission was to record them with dignity and create a book that will be the testimony of their hope and love.

The book not only pays tribute to the people of Japan, it is also an opportunity for the people of the world to reach out to one another. It is important for the images to speak for themselves, for the viewer to experience that one solitary moment: a gesture of solidarity with the victims and survivors. This is a story that’s universal – images that reach beyond boundaries and inspire us with hope, love and a shared human experience.