Inspired By
Nara
by Johanna Tagada
Johanna Tagada is a French painter and interdisciplinary artist based in London. The final part of her four years participative exhibition project Épistolaire Imaginaire will open next February at Galerie Jean-Francois Kaiser (FR). Her work can be found at www.johannatagada.net and her publication Rose et Jaune ordered at Tender Books.
“My husband and I went to Nara for the first time in 2014. I felt home, calm, just as when sitting in my grand-parents garden in Alsace. Nara became a cherished place in my heart. A place where deers walk freely. Filled with temples and artworks dating to the 8th century, it was once Japan’s capital. In the spring of 2016 on a new voyage to the far east, I received the support of Mtart to conduct a week of research on the subjects of harmony, Buddhism, Zen, nature, ceremonies and rituals in the Kansai area. Most of this period was spent in Nara. Upon my arrival I purchased rolls of film and Washi paper. The smell of incense in the air, walking through the forest, I created a new series of work titled Yama (Moutain).”