Folon Exhibition: An Art Experience That Heals and Provokes Thought Through Imaginary Travel

A sky with a gentle color gradient.

Imaginary Travel Guide—drawn by this title, I came to the Tokyo Station Gallery.

Imaginary Travel Guide: Jean-Michel Folon

What is an Imaginary Travel Guide?

The striking title, "Imaginary Travel Guide."

Actually, it was inspired by the job title on the business card Folon used to carry.

A mysterious figure wearing a hat, the Little Hat Man, often appears in Folon's works.

Sometimes he is gentle, like a guide in a painting leading us kindly.

At other times, he appears in a crowd, silently appealing to us about something.

A blue figure with red eyes. The contrasting colors draw the eyes in.

However, what looks like eyes are actually lips.

It reminds me of the proverb, "The eyes speak as much as the mouth."

I cannot read at all what kind of feelings he has while looking at me...
(Though since they are lips, he might not be seeing me at all)

A painting of glasses displayed right at eye level.

It is strange how it feels as if I am seeing the scene through those glasses.

Looking closely, a man wearing glasses that glow red in the darkness is staring right at me.

Folon and Arrows

The arrows that often appear in Folon's paintings.

Arrows are usually used to indicate direction or the flow of time, but I wonder what they represent in Folon's paintings?

What stands out is the overwhelming number of arrows.

Arrows that are supposed to show the way point in one direction, but in Folon's paintings, there are works where a massive number of arrows point in all sorts of directions.

Works depicting cityscapes and arrows are also common, making it seem as if humans have wandered into an urban jungle and are tied up in knots.

The arrows extending from the head also start to look like a depiction of emotions and consciousness being pulled in various directions and tossed about...

When living in the city, you are constantly surrounded by so much information and so many people that you sometimes feel just like the subjects in Folon's paintings, don't you?

A Beautiful World and the Darkness We Want to Turn Away From

Let's look at this painting from the top down.

In a sky dyed deep blue and madder red,
a single fading rainbow.

Swimming deep, deep down in the sea below that,
it's not a school of fish,but many rainbow-colored torpedoes.

Precisely because Folon loves nature, he paints it with such gentle, vibrant beauty while questioning the problems of modern society that destroy it.

It is said that Folon longed to be a bird flying freely in the sky.

After viewing the Folon exhibition...

The good points of the exhibition catalog

Since the catalog is heavy, I'm the type to buy it online later.
This time, I was able to purchase it on Amazon👇

For those who might not be able to make it to the exhibition, I highly recommend this exhibition catalog as it comes with extensive commentary.

And, when you take a peek under the catalog's dust jacket...

There's a drawing by Folon, whom I love!

Highlights of the Tokyo Station Gallery

What I've introduced here is just a small part of the exhibition.

The exhibition runs until September 23rd, so please visit and enjoy Folon's imaginary journey.

It will also be touring to Nagoya and Osaka in the future.

After viewing, head to Café Wien.

This café at the Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store faithfully reproduces authentic recipes steeped in 300 years of tradition, allowing you to truly experience the atmosphere of Vienna.

The elegant interior is also authentic, just like a Viennese coffee house, and I highly recommend it.

Folon's mysterious imaginary journey, the end.

👇Click here for other exhibition reports