The photographer Charles Fréger has brought Japan’s ancient traditions to Lyon, in a new exhibition at the Musée des Confluences.
Japan holds a special place in the Western imagination. As developed and materially rich as any Western country, it has nevertheless preserved an ancient culture which is in many ways alien. Elements of Japanese culture have found their way into the West, in everything from spiritualism, Uniqlo and “harmony with nature”, yet the country remains geographically and symbolically distant.
The photographer Charles Fréger has tapped into this dual attitude towards Japan, as a place we can relate to but are also fascinated by. Yokainoshima, roughly translating as “island of spirits” or “island of monsters”, shows the Japanese people through a Western artist’s eye and his thoroughly modern camera lens.
Alongside the 80 photographs are artefacts from the Musée des Confluences’ Japanese collection, including costumes and masks worn in ancient rituals. But this isn’t a strictly historical exhibition: it also explores the more contemporary, less high-brow features of Japanese culture, such as manga and cosplay. These have been perhaps the most pervasive, so it’s only fair to treat them seriously.
It might seem strange to spend a trip to France sampling Japanese rather than French culture. But Yokainoshima should be seen another way: as a French artist’s effort to understand a foreign country. Pay close attention, and you’ll discover something about the French outlook on the world – or even if such a thing really exists.
Jonny Elling
Musée des Confluences
86 Quai Perrache, 69002 Lyon