ルイーズ・ミュトレル

Louise Mutrel

The photographic project "Only You Can Complete Me" focuses on automobile subcultures in Japan. Initiated in 2019, this research reached its culmination during a residency at Villa Kujoyama. Between January and June 2024, I documented communities of dekotora (decorated trucks) enthusiasts, kyushakai (feminist biker groups), and dekochari (bicycles inspired by dekotora). It is said that the passion for vehicle customization arrived in Japan in the 1970s under the influence of post-war American culture. Through this unconventional ‘hobby,’ enthusiasts redefine their identities and invent avatars. Quickly reinterpreted by the Japanese, it evolved into a sophisticated and engaged craft. Utility vehicles (used for transport or construction) are transformed by their owners into hybrid objects that blend, even today, traditional influences such as the updating of ukiyo-e prints and popular influences like the formal designs of robotic armor from the 1980s sci-fi series Gundam. The body of photographs produced during my residency at Villa Kujoyama explores gatherings organized by these self-taught communities in the Kansai and Kanto regions. It is in the liminal spaces of parking lots, interchanges, and peri-urban areas that they meet, parade, and develop collective rituals. In this work, I strive to go beyond simple documentation by creating sensory and symbolic connections within my photographic collections.