KOSAKU KANECHIKA is pleased to present “LE FUMISTOL,” a solo exhibition by fumiko imano, from July 7 to August 12, 2023.

imano is highly acclaimed for her collaborations in fashion, including photography for LOEWE for eight seasons since 2018, and designing sneakers for VANS using her original artwork. Best known are her series of self-portraits taken with a 35mm camera with the images cut and pasted to create a twin-like motif. Encapsulating an innocently nostalgic and humorous charm that is reminiscent of photographs that might have been taken during a family trip, imano’s self-portraits elicit an instinctive smile from their viewers. In sharp contrast, the distinct lines cut by scissors and joined together attest to the reality of their fictitious nature. Intentionally created by hand in the current digital age, imano’s photomontages are playful but nonetheless provide a penetrative insight into the machinations of identity and employ an unconventional visual language to convey new stories.

imano’s work consistently invokes a sense of travel. Ever-present is the urge to not remain in one place, but to travel continuously, searching for something during one’s journey. Her work is also a record of this process as it places value in the thoughts and sensations that are triggered by encounters, thus generating new images.

LE FUMISTOL, imano’s fourth solo exhibition at KOSAKU KANECHIKA, presents a new series that captures novel experiences in a world transformed by the pandemic. Visiting Paris in 2021 under strict travel restrictions, imano came across a quaint yet luxurious hotel in Paris. Forced to confront unimaginable tasks and feelings under the pandemic, the pillars of comfort and routine that had bolstered everyone’s lives up until then had crumbled. What did imano encounter and feel during these times, and how did she work under such uneasy circumstances?

imano provided the following statement about these travels.
　
in january 2021 during corona
i was asked to shoot the main campaign for a brand
so i flew from an empty airport in japan
in an empty airplane
after having many pcr tests

all small hotels were closed so i got a listing of two hotels to choose from

without knowing how it would be
i chose hotel Le Bristol
i spent 7 days for quarantine plus 8 days there
Total 15 days

it was the most weird time in paris
no cafes, no restaurants, 18:00pm you have to be at home

during the isolation, i was speaking to cleaning ladies
sometimes walking around this empty hotel
and maybe i met some spirits… shhhh…

room service was the only way to eat in the beginning
i got shocked by the menu prices
but they had the most wittily named pasta

“les coquillettes pour enfants gâtés (jambon blanc, comte, truffe noir)”
Coquillettes for spoiled children (cooked ham, comte cheese, black truffle)
65 euros

i got really tired of breakfast in 3 days because
i’m used to japanese food so much (my body prefers rice)
also got bored of it repeating
but
it was the most amazing breakfast i had in my life as room service
from the dishes, cutlery, bread, croissant, butter, coffee, tea, omelette, eggs benedict,
to the way they displayed the juice
it was
perfection

when an extraordinary experience
becomes an everyday thing
somehow it becomes ordinary
but when it’s over
you start to miss it

after corona
i tried to go back there to have the perfect breakfast but it was fully booked
so i would like to stay there again to experience it
but it is not going to be the same
the hotel will be packed with celebrities

good or bad
i kind of miss corona time

for this time
i decided to name this hotel experience

le fumistol
　
In addition to fumiko imano’s photomontages, this presentation of 35 works will include never-before-seen drawings. We cordially invite you to attend her solo exhibition, LE FUMISTOL, at KOSAKU KANECHIKA.

fumiko imano

Born in 1974, fumiko imano lived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from ages two to eight. She then went on to study fine art at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, and fashion styling and photography at the London College of Fashion. Presenting her works internationally in exhibitions and magazines, imano’s publications include “We Oui!” (Little Big Man Books, 2017). Since 2018, she has collaborated with LOEWE for eight consecutive seasons. In 2022, she designed a pair of sneakers in collaboration with VANS. This presentation is the artist’s fourth solo exhibition at KOSAKU KANECHIKA, following her shows in 2019, 2020, and 2022.