Everywhere in the world, the quality of water is under attack and nowhere more so than in Japan, where the 2011 earthquake and tsunami led to Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant leaking radioactive material into the sea, and where since the 1970s, acid rain has polluted rice farms and forests on the north west coast of Honshu, Japan’s main island. The Tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster got world-wide media attention. While it was shocking – and led to repercussions which are still emerging –  in Japan the effects have been especially disruptive and deep-seated.

GroundWork Gallery’s Spring exhibition, Japan Water tackles each aspect of the subject of water, from purity to pollution, from calm to turbulence.  Five artists take us on a journey into the significance of water in Japanese art and culture, its importance for Japan’s economy and indeed its survival. Tea, sake, rice, fish, handmade paper, hot baths: so many keystones of the Japanese way of life depend on a supply of pure, clean water.

Artists include: Lisa Keiko-Kirton, Jonathan Meuli, Isao Miura, Nana Shiomi, Hakan Topal

GroundWork Gallery is Britain’s only gallery completely dedicated to the environment.