ON THE OCCASION OF HER FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION « UTSUKUSHII KAO, SUTEKI NA HITO », PRESENTED IN TOKYO IN 2019, WENDY SYLVAIN SHOWS THESE TWO SERIES OF ILLUSTRATIONS : « UTSUKUSHII KAO, SUTEKI NA HITO » AND « TOKYO, AMOUR, WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME FOR SHARON STONE ? ».
IN THESE SERIES, THE FRENCH ILLUSTRATOR TALKS ABOUT A FIRST STAY IN TOKYO : SHE ADDRESSES THE EFFERVESCENCE OF TOKYO IN HER ILLUSTRATIONS AND TEXTS AND MAKES THE TOWN A CHILDHOOD FRIEND AND EX-GIRLFRIEND : WENDY SYLVAIN HAS A VERY PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JAPAN AS SHE WAS DRAWN TO JAPANESE CULTURE FROM CHILDHOOD : SHE LEARNED JAPANESE LANGUAGE ON HER OWN FROM THE AGE OF THIRTEEN.
SHE SPEAKS OF TOKYO AS OF A CITY SHE HAS ALWAYS DREAMED OF, WHOSE LIGHTS ATTRACT HER, BUT ALSO OF THE BEHIND-THE-SCENE OF THE PLACE : TOKYO IS AN OPPRESSIVE, NOISY PLACE, WHERE ONE GETS LOST, ANONYMOUS, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CROWD.
HER IDEAL TOKYO IS NOT FANTASIZED : DARK AND LUMINOUS, NOSTALGIC AND JOYFUL, LEAVES IT OR FINDS IT AGAIN, WENDY SYLVAIN ADDRESSES IN THIS PROJECT, FINALLY, HER LOVE FOR THIS CONTRADICTORY CITY WHICH SHE FINDS IT DIFFICULT TO GET RID OF.
BY EXTERIORIZING HER OWN DOUBTS AND DREAMS, SHE WANTS TOKYOITE AND TOURISTS TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY TO HER EXPERIENCE OF TOKYO AND THE MESSAGE IT CONVEYS IS EVERYONE FEELS THE SAME NEED FOR CONNECTION AND COMMUNICATION.
IN « TOKYO, AMOUR, WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME FOR SHARON STONE ?», THIS TIME, SHE IS SPEAKING ALMOST TO HERSELF. IN HER SPEECH, A MELANCHOLY IS ALREADY MINGLED, A SADNESS THAT ANTICIPATES THE END OF HER STAY, SHE CRIES OUT HER INNER THOUGHTS, AND HER FAMILIAR FEELING IN TOKYO THAT SHE IS DISCOVERING FOR THE FIRST TIME.
