A DELUSIONAL JOURNEY TO THE CORE OF TOKYO RUMANDO
From the very first minute, Tokyo Rumando, a Tokyo-based photographer plays with the concept of identity by introducing herself with a stage name.
After years of working in front of the camera as a model for photographers like Araki. She aimed to gain back a sense of control by using a camera herself; to explore a safe space where she could build a new sense of identity.
Debuting with Rest 3000~ Stay 5000~, published and exhibited by Zen Foto Gallery, the artist photographed herself in a series of images taken in Japanese love hotels. Combining both reality and fiction into a quasi-documentary style, this series takes you to an exciting and private fantasy world beneath the ordered and rule-based metropolis that is Tokyo.
An enthusiast of the Rakugo art form, the inspiration for her first photo book, Tokyo uses the performance art as a way to shape her inner self in other series like Orphee and The Story of S.
Either selecting props such as a mirror to experiment with different identities from the past, present and future or playing a role-game in her own apartment, Tokyo uses a visual language that develops her own sense of identity, sexuality and intimacy. Her own nude body becomes a protagonist, a symbol of liberation that unmasks her very core.
When someone sees your photography, without even knowing who pressed the shutter, they may think that you were active during the 70s; a period before you were even born. Probably because of the strong black and white tones and bokeh which reminds us of Taki or Moriyama. Were the photographers from the PROVOKE Magazine movement an influence on you?
A: I knew about Daido Moriyama-san’s photography but not Taki san’s. The grainy, high-contrast photographs of the 70s are fascinating. They are heavy and intense. I've always been envious of the momentum of that era. I was born in 1980, and I started photography when I was a high school student around 2000. Photography at that time felt very light. It was the generation of photo booths and instant cameras, exactly like the “girly photo generation”.
Hoping to present the texture of the “Showa” era from the 70s, I experimented with different materials. I made waxed papers with “warabanshi” (lit. straw papers) as a material that can be used as negatives, transferred the images, made them translucent and reproduced the images. I also tried to use different props, costumes and makeup for the photoshoot, creating my own kind of 70s.
Could you tell us more about Rakugo and why it has been one of the main concepts in your photography?
A: The first photo book I ever made was about Rakugo. Rakugo is one of the traditional performing arts that represent Japan. I actually married a Rakugoka under the Shunputei guild and became an Okami. It’s one of my various roles.
The world of Rakugo is very interesting. Have you heard of it? I’m sure you would enjoy it. The vaudeville theatres called Yose have a very Japanese atmosphere.
Rakugokas wear a kimono, sit on a cushion, and play many roles alone, one after another. Roles from ancient times to modern times. And they would make people laugh and cry. Isn’t that amazing? That is real performance.
I was very interested in their process of acting. I was also interested in the old-fashioned stages, the traditions of a harsh male society, and the history of Edo.
My father-in-law, who was the director of a museum, advised me to make a photobook, so I decided to make a photobook for the guild. It was a lot of fun to take pictures of their faces on stage and off stage in their everyday lives. I want to do it again. By the way, the 500 copies of the photo book were sold out really quickly.
“(...) I wanted to create my own view of the world. I wanted to direct and output the images I had that continued to expand deep inside my heart. ”
Before exploring the photographic world behind the camera, you were modeling in front of it; what happened to make you want to start this journey?
A: What would be a beautiful answer to this question is that I wanted to create my own view of the world. I wanted to direct and output the images I had that continued to expand deep inside my heart.
Another answer to the question would be something that I rarely mention in interviews; I wanted to rebel against the harassment I experienced when I was a model. I was being told things like “Just do what you have to do as a model, that’s it, nothing else”, “You just need to smile and we don’t need to know about your opinions” or “Just be a virtual image”. Resistance is a form of answer. I was very shocked when people said those things to me. I don’t want anyone to decide anything for me without my permission. I prefer things to be liberal. Is that wrong?
Through your images, you create your own world and you delve into the characters yourself; is photography a way to establish your identity and somehow show and understand your deepest self?
A: I think so, and I think I chose this medium because there were a lot of cameras in my surrounding environment. Instead of understanding myself, I think the camera helps me analyze myself with actual data. In order to understand myself, I need to continue creating images.
In my opinion, it is not necessary for me to only use photography as my method. Videos and three dimensional objects can also be used to present my own identity. I am also very interested in other media, so I do want to challenge myself to work with other media too.
“Instead of understanding myself, I think the camera helps me analyze myself with actual data. In order to understand myself, I need to continue creating images. ”
In the 1990s, the wave Onna no ko shashinka (“Girlie Photographers”) took place. A group who practiced the concept of reworking stereotypical representations and, as far as we know, your work Orphée was born towards those concepts. We know that your work is committed to defying the gender roles that the Japanese patriarchy places upon women. How has growing up in Japan influenced and shaped your work as a woman?
A: Girlie photography is probably like a core hidden deep inside me. Since I was in high school, I always took photos with my friends, anytime, anywhere. It’s very pure and straightforward. So pure that one can cry. In that stage, I was not against taking photos at all.
My family was very liberal. They did not tell me what I should and shouldn’t do as a female. I became a nurse when I became an adult, and I didn’t feel unfair or anything. Of course, there is a hierarchy in that world, but I was not told anything just because I was a woman. I could also speak my opinions. There was no time for that kind of discussion. Everyone was working hard as a medical professional to save lives.
I know that patriarchy is prominent in relationships, marriage, as well as the photography field since the past and up until now. I knew it existed, but I still felt uncomfortable as a creator. Some people did not take me seriously when I expressed my opinions. There were many cases that happened and I cannot write down everything here.
I used to feel suffocated by that and it really bothered me, so a part of that is probably reflected in the work that I made, but I hope you can understand that I am not creating for the sake of resisting. I hope you can look at my works from a different perspective. I start making my works with a pure mindset. I think without being pure it is impossible to create works.
In my opinion, women are overall very strong so they can do what they want to. In order to continue to be healthy and pure, perhaps sometimes one needs to throw away everything and explore one’s new world.
I strongly believe that in this big world, as long as we are alive, we can always start things over and over again. There are so many more beautiful places and people that will move us and fulfill our hearts. I want to continue to look for places that I feel comfortable with, without thinking too narrowly.
“I strongly believe that in this big world, as long as we are alive, we can always start things over and over again. There are so many more beautiful places and people that will move us and fulfill our hearts. I want to continue to look for places that I feel comfortable with, without thinking too narrowly. ”
Is this commitment to defy gender roles a reason why female nudity is a common theme in your work?
A: Nudity may certainly be one of the weapons that can be used to defy gender roles in my work. But that itself is not enough. On the contrary, nudity alone will be consumed. I have seen a few societies that consume females and I don’t want to be like that. Having my own philosophy allows me to resist, and to be liberal. Fighting against myself instead of fighting against people, is in a sense, a kind of “resistance”.
“I have seen a few societies that consume females and I don’t want to be like that. Having my own philosophy allows me to resist, and to be liberal. ”
Do your ideas/concepts drive and form your finished work or do you feel like the concepts arise after you have taken the photos? What is your creative process like?
A: In my creating process, the first thing that comes up is the problem. It’s like a concept. Something that needs to be solved in my mind pops up. Pain, sadness, and beautiful things that tighten my heart. I observe and analyze it closely. On the other hand, my work is to make a number of small plans, execute them, and solve them. This is a kind of treatment.
A plan is an idea, and they keep coming up. All ideas change, disappear, or suddenly reappear depending upon the creation process and the surrounding environment at that time. It's very impressive and interesting. They change quickly with the little happenings that I experience in my daily life, such as meeting and talking with someone. Therefore, I make material notes and archive the materials so that I won’t forget those ideas. I have 4 or 5 notebooks now and they are my treasure.
Do you have any exhibitions or projects coming soon?
A: I was interviewed for an independent documentary film on Japanese avant-garde artists and photographers by Amélie Ravalec. She is a London-based Parisian film director, video editor and colourist.
As an ongoing project, I will participate in the "Photo Oxford Festival" from the second half of October-November. The theme is "Women and Photography".
In addition, I will participate in a large-scale exhibition titled "Japanese Art & Photography" at the Ashmolean Museum of Art in Oxford, curated by Lena Fritsch, an art curator specialized in Japanese photography. She has published a wonderful book called "RAVENS & RED LIPSTICK / Japanese Photography since 1945" by Thames & Hudson.
I have also decided on a group show in Berlin next year.
A new work is in progress, of course, but I would like to keep it private for now...
Photography and cinema have always walked side by side, through their similarities in style; is there a particular movie you would like to recommend to GATA?
A: My friend who is a film artist from Sweden has taught me a lot about cinema, I really respect and love his work. He introduced me to the works of Andrei Tarkovsky and Chantal Akerman… Also, personally I love works by Sergei Parajanov, Peter Greenaway and of course David Lynch.