ALMA MARCEAU : MUSÉE DU QUAI BRANLY – JACQUES CHIRAC
Housing more than 370,000 objects from Africa the Near East, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, the musée du quai Branly- Jacques Chirac is one of the richest European public institutions dedicated to non- European arts and civilisations. The museum’s extens
Ghost Story Histoires de fantômes
Ahaunting exhibition has swept stealthily into town taking a look at the representation and importance of ghosts in Asian art and culture. Enter into the world of spirits, ghosts and terrifying and fantastic creatures in an exhibition being held at the musée du quai Branly-jacques Chirac entitled Enfers et Fantômes d'asie (Underworlds and Ghosts of Asia). The show explores the ghost tales in Eastern and South-eastern Asia from the 16th century to the present bringing together cinema, religious art, theatre, contemporary creation, mangas and video games.
From the engravings of the Japanese master Hokusai to Pac-man, Buddhist paintings, the worship of spirits in Thailand, the figure of the ghost has haunted the Asian imagination for centuries. In China, Thailand and Japan, countries showcased in the exhibition, mainstream enthusiasm for horror is very real, permeating a wide range of cultural manifestations. Wandering forest spirits, vengeful women-cats, the walking dead, and jumping vampires make multiple appearances through East and Southeast Asian culture in various ages and artistic mediums. The exhibition explores how they are represented in the theatre, cinema and comic books. While Buddhism largely contributed to the construction of these phenomena, in addition to its appearance in religious art, it was above all in popular and non-religious art that the representation of phantoms developed.
The exhibition’s path offers a dialogue between ancient religious art, theatre, film, video games and comics illustrating the idea that the ghost never dies and that its sudden appearances are unpredictable. Contemporary creation is showcased with notably an installation re-producing the underworlds of Thai temples and a host of surprising special effects.
Showing through to July 15th - 37 Quai Branly (7th), 01 56 61 70 00 - www.quaibranly.fr