Beyond Our Horizons: From Tokyo to Paris

Last fall, Galerie du 19M presented its third international exhibition in Japan. The 52nd floor of the Mori Tower in Tokyo was filled with artworks, including collaborative pieces developed by Japanese artisans and French maisons d’art. After the success, the exhibition travelled from Tokyo to Paris to provide French audiences an experience driven by the same ambition: to showcase original works and invite visitors on a journey through materials, creativity and craftsmanship. As Bruno Pavlovsky, President of le19M, said, “It illustrates how heritage and innovation can coexist and feed off each other.”

Inspired by a vision of the world governed by elemental forces — reflected in the philosophy of the five elements: earth (土, do), water (水, sui), fire (火, ka), wind (風, fu) and void (空, ku) – the exhibition explores the deep connections between nature and creation. These principles evoke a world in constant dialogue, where life’s contrasts respond to one another. The exhibition examines how artists and artisans have long used the pulse of nature as their muse, returning to a crucial message: every act of creation gives rise to a new dialogue. 

Nearly thirty French and Japanese artisans and designers are presenting works and installations, including new creations that could only have emerged through the collaboration between counterparts. Finally, ten new designers have also joined the Paris edition to extend this dialogue even further, each bringing their own artistic interpretation of the elements and proving that craft is not merely a deep-rooted tradition, but also a living art constantly redefined by the contemporary world. Some of these names include Noritaka Tatehana, Thomas Mailaender, Daisuke Igarashi, Mathilde Albouy, Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Miyoko Yasumoto, Tomihiro Kono, Sayaka Maruyama, Clara Imbert, Mitsue Nakamura, or Harumi Klossowska de Rola, among others.

Led by five renowned creatives (Momoko Ando, director and head of Kinema Museum; Yoichi Nishio, editor-in-chief of Casa Brutus; Shinichiro Ogata, founder and artistic director of Simplicity; Kayo Tokuda, exhibition curator; and Aska Yamashita, artistic director of Atelier Montex), the exhibition is built around a common thread: how gestures and skills, whether inherited or reinvented, enrich our view of the world, beyond borders and horizons.

True to the gallery’s spirit of openness and its mission to bring together the widest possible range of creative audiences, the exhibition also features a programme of introductory workshops, talks and performances designed to please visitors of all ages. Highlights include workshops exploring the traditional Japanese savoir-faire through the work of contemporary artists reinterpreting ancestral arts in their own mediums; a participatory workshop inspired by Japanese Tanabata festival, where the audience is invited to create their own tanzaku (small, colourful cards made from washi paper); three evening events bringing together illustration, cuisine, and music, and the shared connections between them; and lastly, le 19M FM also returned to le Café du 19M for one Saturday a month for gatherings with a guest, free workshops and a convivial lunch. 

This season, la Galerie du 19M has chosen to weave a thread between Japan and France, bringing together tradition in the most contemporary, playful and creative sense, far removed from familiar clichés. Beyond Our Horizons: From Tokyo to Paris arrived in the French capital to honour a living vision of crafts, breaking down cultural barriers and renewing them through the dialogue between the two countries.