Exhibition Japon 1968
From December 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026
Galerie Retour De Voyage – L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Opening reception on December 14, 2025, from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm,
in the presence of Hans Silvester, Master Chen Wu, Patricia Dupuy, and Bernard Soria of Éditions du Renard Pâle.
The exhibition JAPAN 1968 presents a compelling fusion of visual art and poetry, highlighting the striking photographs of Hans Silvester. Each carefully framed work invites viewers to explore the subtleties of a rich and complex culture through a unique artistic lens. The juxtaposition of images with timeless haikus creates an immersive experience in which each element resonates with the other. In this way, the exhibition stands as a tribute to the beauty of Japan while celebrating the unparalleled talent of Hans Silvester.
On the occasion of the publication of the artist’s book “
Japan 1968″, Galerie Retour De Voyage presents an exhibition centered on this unique work, a true collector’s object. The book is enriched by the collaboration of calligrapher Master Chen Yong Wu, whose creations engage in dialogue with the images, emphasizing the poetic and spiritual dimension of Japan in the 1960s.
The exhibition thus brings together a selection of original photographs from the Japan 1968 series, the Japanese calligraphies of Master Chen Yong Wu featured in the edition, and, of course, the artist’s book Japan 1968, presented as the central piece.
This encounter between photography and calligraphy evokes the slowness, precision, and visual power inherent to both art forms.
A Humanist View of Japan in the 1960s
The Japan revealed by Hans Silvester in 1968 is a country in transition. His photographs—street scenes, landscapes, portraits—are imbued with deep humanity. They portray a society at a crossroads, between cultural heritage and emerging modernity.
This timeless vision resonates today with striking strength and beauty.
An Exceptional Artist’s Book – Japan 1968
Éditions du Renard Pâle selected 29 photographs to create a masterful artist’s book:
“A marvelous original work of art, produced in only 30 copies, each numbered and signed. Hans’s iconic images taken in Japan in 1968 are set alongside eternal haikus, all assembled in a presentation as sumptuous as it is ingenious.”
“Before your eyes, an original photograph in a black American-style frame with a flawless finish. Behind this frame, discreetly removed from the wall, a nearly invisible hatch gives access to a book with a magical binding that opens on one side to the Japanese version and on the other to the French version. This may seem very original—and it is. Both versions are interwoven over the same images, creating magical tabs. Add to this authentic seals made by Japanese masters and texts calligraphed by another great master, and you are immersed in the exceptional universe of instinctive poetry, without any need for further discourse.”
Exhibition Catalogue
