若林久未来、アルマ・シャンツァー

Kumiko Wakabayashi, Alma Schanzer

Two female photographers of different generations and with different nationalities. What they have in common is that they create contemporary artworks on the theme of "woman, life, freedom” using historical photographic techniques. One part of the title - carnation - derives from the Latin word “carnis” meaning “flesh”. Schanzer's wet plate collodion photographs were inspired by the "Carnation Revolution" of 1974. During the overthrow of the Estado Novo dictatorship in Portugal, soldiers placed carnations in their guns, which became a symbol of a bloodless revolution. In her photographs, carnations are symbolically held by Iranian women to represent freedom. The second part of the title - reincarnation - means “rebirth” or “taking on flesh”. Wakabayashi's Van Dyke Brown and Cyano prints are inspired by Klimt's “The Three Ages of Woman”. This work captures a grandmother, her grandchild, and her great-grandchild and expresses reincarnation - the recurring life and death cycle. Another part of the exhibition is collaborative works between the two artists that aim to form a bridge between photography and motion pictures by reimagining the so-called Thaumatrope - a popular optical toy in the 19th century.