NOT SEEING IS A FLOWER
NOT SEEING IS A FLOWER
CREDITS
For Maroesjka Lavigne (1989, Belgium) the island of Japan seemed to be an isolated world far away. The Western world has cultivated a certain image of Japan, based in part on ukiyo-e pictures. These ‘pictures of the floating world’ created an unreal and idealized image of Japan and its culture. She reflects: “ ‘Whatever you think, think the opposite’, an expression I heard a lot in and about Japan.’’
In her series ‘Not seeing is a Flower’, Lavigne looks for the modern beauty Japan has to offer. She combines this with underlying themes of the old pictures as an inspiration. Combining landscape with portrait, she combines an eclectic mix of subjects, giving us a fragmented image about Japan, unknown and unknowable. Lavigne’s use of both natural and subtly constructed images alongside the use of pastel colors gives the images a unique purity and softness.
