May 05 2017

Highlights from Kyotographie 2017

by Jessica Keung and Peter Augustus

Exterior of sub-temple Ryosokuin at the 815-year-old Buddhist Kenninji Temple, where NOBUYOSHI ARAKI’s works were shown. Located in Gion, the famous Geisha area in Kyoto, Ryosokuin is regularly used as a venue for art exhibitions. All photos by Jessica Keung for ArtAsiaPacific.

Physically constrained by his advancing age and blindness in his right eye, master of eroticism NOBUYOSHI ARAKI extends his practice to photographing found objects on a desktop. Miniatures and toys replace female nude models in the subtly sensual “A Desktop Love” (2016).

Works from the series “A Desktop Love” (2016) by NOBUYOSHI ARAKI were installed on traditional Japanese-style desks. Visitors needed to kneel or sit to better observe the prints. The zen garden outside the hall neutralized the explicit sexual content of the prints, suffusing them with a sense of harmony.

A wooden camera obscura, created in a collaboration between three Japanese artisans, was one of the highlights in YAN KALLEN’s exhibition “Between the Light and Darkness.” Here, a visitor was experiencing the visual phenomenon with a view of a tranquil Japanese garden.

YAN KALLEN’s sensational prints of heirloom crafting tools and techniques—secrets usually kept within artisan families—were clipped onto a custom-made bamboo display structure inspired by traditional fabric dyeing processes.

Every year during the seasonal period of cherry blossoms in bloom, Japan attracts a high number of tourists from around the world who photograph and capture the awnings of delicate peach, pink and white sakura that cover streets and parks around the country. Around the same time, the annual Kyotographie kicks off in Kyoto, one of the most revered cities in Japan for some of the country’s historical crafts such as pottery and handcrafted kimonos. Co-founded by French photographer Lucille Reyboz and Japanese lighting artist Yusuke Nakanishi in 2013, Kyotographie is a festival dedicated to celebrating photography, and sprang from a need for cultural exchange after the devastating Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Fulfilling that need, in just five years since the inaugural edition, Kyotographie has received acclaim and recognition for its significant contribution to the development of the contemporary art form.

For Kyotographie’s fifth edition, 16 exhibitions, featuring 30 artists and collectives from nine countries, came together under the curatorial theme of “Love.” A diverse range of relationships—between individuals, lovers, families, societies—were illustrated by renowned photographers including Arnold Newman, Robert Mapplethorpe and René Groebli, together with emerging artists including Yan Kallen and Akihito Yoshida. Venues of the exhibitions were spread throughout the city, mostly within walking distance of each other, from an Edo-period castle to shrines and traditional Japanese houses. Visitors were invited to explore the ancient heritage of the former capital of Japan while strolling through the now-modernized city.

Hundreds of sublime portraitures, taken in natural settings by the late, widely celebrated photographer ARNOLD NEWMAN (1918–2006), were on view at the Nijo-jo Castle. Here was a rare opportunity to see several of Newman’s test shots, providing new insight into his working process, in which he sought to discover the perfect proportion for each portrait.

“Emmy’s World” (2009–15) is a six-year project by HANNE VAN DER WOUDE, in which she photographed the interconnected and remarkable lives of three elderly people in east Netherlands. Brothers in a Tub, Mas Malakoff (2011) (pictured on the wall) reveals the strong bond between the photographer’s subjects as they bathe in the wilderness.

AKIHITO YOSHIDA’s “Falling Leaves” (2017) courageously narrates the artist’s personal family story. Yoshida documented ordinary, yet heartwarming, scenes featuring his cousin Daiki and their grandmother, who had raised Daiki alone since he was little. Through these images, we feel Daiki’s immense suffering and devotion while nursing his grandmother, who becomes increasingly lost in her dementia day by day. Finally, we see that stress and depression consumes Daiki, causing his unexpected disappearance.

One of the images in “Falling Leaves” (2017) depicts AKIHITO YOSHIDA’s saddened grandmother hopelessly waiting for Daiki’s return. A year later, the artist discovered that Daiki had committed suicide when his body was discovered under leaves at the foot of a mountain. “Falling Leaves” is a quiet yet disturbing series criticizing the stigmatism and ignorance toward mental illness within Japanese society.

Gentle intimacies were delivered through The Eye of Love #521 and #526 (both 1952), which were among a photographic collection taken by RENÉ GROEBLI of his beloved wife Rita during their honeymoon.

At one of the two exhibitions by Spanish photographer ISABEL MUÑOZ, titled “Love and Ecstasy,” two prints—both titled Istanbul, Turquie (both 2008)—and a 7’ 55” video installation from the “Mevlevi” (2008) series depicted dervish whirling, a mystical Sufi ceremony performed to call upon an Islamic goddess.

View from the French Bluff (1868) (pictured in the background) is one of the photographs GIADA RIPA found in Italian artist Felice Beato’s albums, which documented the livelihoods and cityscape of the Yokohama region in the 19th century. These archival images inspired Ripa to retrace Beato’s path and capture contemporary Yokohama. Left to right (foreground): Takahiro Nagino –Illustrator and Artist (2016) and Nagasaki (2015).

RAPHAËL DALLAPORTA’s series “The Elusive Chauvet–Pont–d’Arc Cave” (2016) included a video installation which projected images of the interior of ancient Paleolithic engravings at the Chauvet Cave, on 12.8-meter wide LED panels. This immersive work provides rare documentation of one of the earliest instances of human life, from the usually restricted world heritage site.

An installation view of the second floor of “Love is More” by TOILETPAPER, an artist duo formed by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, who also publish a magazine of the same name. Provocative photographic prints were printed on the wall and ceiling adhesives, rugs, coffee tables and lampshades, and then installed on site.

Stepping inside a saturated, bright red interior, the top floor of *TOILETPAPER*’s exhibition exudes a more playful and erotic atmosphere, further heightened by the presence of a dancing pole and a disco ball.

Q & A

Energetic co-founders and directors Lucille Reyboz and Yusuke Nakanishi started Kyotographie in 2013 as a way to bring international attention to Japan’s thriving photography scene, while promoting a strong community of artists from around the world. As the festival wraps for the year, Reyboz chats with ArtAsiaPacific about the uniqueness of the event and the satisfaction that comes from seeing Kyotographie’s featured artists succeed beyond the festival.

Kyotographie’s co-founders Yusuke Nakanishi and Lucille Reyboz with MALICK SIDIBÉ’s Nuit de Noël (Happy Club) (1963) from the exhibiton “Amour, Amours . . . From My Photography Collection agnès b.” at Museum “Eki” Kyoto, 2017. Photo by Jessica Keung for ArtAsiaPacific.

What many find interesting is that both of you are artists. How does this help with the success of the festival?

Working with the artists is one of the most delightful parts of the event. It’s sometimes quite challenging to invite them to show their work outside of the white cube format. The venues we use present a lot of limitations so we usually engage in lengthy discussions with the artists to figure out the best way to show their work. Of course, being artists ourselves allows us to connect directly with their ideas; together we are able to find solutions for complex problems. It’s a real collaboration.

The festival is embraced by Kyoto, and you use structures all across the city for fascinating site-specific presentations. What are some of the most memorable sites?

In 2015, we constructed a temporary building designed by [Japanese architect] Shigeru Ban in front of the City Hall, made of recyclable paper. This type of structure had never been realized in Kyoto’s history. It was a real feat, and we were very excited to show his work in this setting.

There are several events surrounding the festival, outside of the actual exhibited art. One of these is the International Portfolio Review, which is in its third year. How did this come about and what has the feedback been like?

We started the review to offer more opportunities for photographers. It was also a way to connect Japan with a large international community of photography professionals. Each year, the festival invites so many interesting and influential people to Kyoto, so it was a shame not to expand upon their experiences and insights. The festival has turned into a big production. We have a prize [the Fujifilm Award] and a party associated with the review. People come from all over the world to participate. We are proud of its growth. It’s so nice to see reviewers talk about whom they saw, and to find out that professional opportunities arose from the event.

Tell us about the master classes you offer. This year, you featured Zanele Muholi and Isabel Muñoz.

Each year, we develop an education program for the same reasons as the review. The master class is another way to engage with photographers of various levels and to offer an education that is not usually available. Hosting an event with Isabel Muñoz and Zanele Muholi was something really special, and not just in Japan.

Who are some of the emerging Japanese photographers you find most intriguing today?

There are so many emerging talents in Japan; it’s difficult to provide an exhaustive list. Among the most intriguing emerging photographers in Japan are those we have shown in past and present editions of Kyotographie: Akiko Takizawa, Yusuke Yamatani, Eriko Koga, Akihito Yoshida, as well as many others in our satellite event, KG+.

What has been the greatest achievement for the festival so far?

Making it to being five years old with less than two percent of government funding! And, of course, creating new opportunities for the artists we exhibited—welcoming them in Kyoto for a residency to create a new body of work or putting them in contact with other festivals or famous institutions. This is real satisfaction!

Interview conducted by Peter Augustus.

The fifth edition of Kyotographie takes place at various locations in Kyoto until May 14, 2017.

Jessica Keung is photo editor at ArtAsiaPacific.

Peter Augustus is associate publisher at ArtAsiaPacific.

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