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.
I CROSS THE STREET ON MY BACK, HANDS AND HEAD.
UMBRELLAS EVERYWHERE IN SHIBUYA.
A COUPLE, TEN UMBRELLAS,
TO SHELTER THEM FROM THE RAIN.
MY HANDS, MY MOUTH, MY EYES,
I OFFER EVERYTHING TO TOKYO,
FOR A PEACEFUL CORNER SOMEWHERE,
NOISE, LIGHTS AND HUMANS.
I PROMISE I’LL STOP THIS TWO-FACED SMILE.
DESPISING BUTTERFLIES,
THEN OFFERING THEM ONE OF MY KIDNEYS.
ON MY MOUTH, LIES TO ATTRACT BAD LUCK.
I CRUSH MY OWN HAND,
WHO I WANTED SO MUCH TO LOOK LIKE ?
NOISE, HUMANS AND BUTTERFLIES,
I’M AFRAID I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION.
FIRE, MY HANDS AND MY BACK BENT 360 DEGREES,
IT’S SUFFOCATING, FOR NO REASON, IT’S SUFFOCATING.
LET THIS NOISE STOP.
IN SHIBUYA, ON RAINY DAYS,
UMBRELLAS EVERYWHERE.
AS LONG AS I MERGE WITH THE GROUND AND,
WE NEVER SPEAK ABOUT IT AGAIN.
SHIBUYA 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115.
I COUNT MY STEPS AND MY HEARTBEATS.
IT WOULD BE SAFER TO WAIT UNTIL WE CAN TOUCH THE STARS. I BUMP INTO A PASSERBY, I SEE STARS.
DO YOU KNOW WHY I FAILED MISERABLY TODAY ?
ZIG ZAG ARMPITS AND TOOTHACHE.
IT WOULD BE SAFER TO WAIT FOR THE STARS TO FALL.
HUMANS, A DOG IN A TUTU AND BUILDINGS.
CROSSING THE STREET, PEOPLE.
LEAVING THE KONBINI,
I TAKE WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE MY UMBRELLA.
AN UMBRELLA, TEN FINGERPRINTS.
NOW, I DEMAND SILENCE.
LIGHTS INSTEAD OF DISTRACTIONS.
I’M NOT THE BRIGHTEST BULB IN THE SET.
I BUMP INTO A PASSERBY, LOSING A TOOTH,
YOU HAVE A TOOTHACHE BECAUSE OF ME, MON AMOUR.
I REPLAY MY FALL AGAIN,
THANKS TO MY REMOTE CONTROL.
YOU TOLD ME I’M A BUTTERFLY,
I RUN AWAY LIKE THE GUY OF THE EXIT SIGN.
I CROSS THE STREET FROM HARAJUKU TO SHIBUYA,
IT TAKES ME TEN MINUTES,
AND THEN I LOSE ANOTHER TWENTY MINUTES,
IN A UMBRELLAS TRAFFIC JAM.
BUTTERFLY, I DEMAND SILENCE.
I FALL AT THE ROUNDABOUT AND HAVE A TOOTHACHE.
SILENCE, I DEMAND SILENCE.
TOKYO, MON AMOUR,
LET’S DEMAND SILENCE AND BUTTERFLIES.
I SMELL PEACHES IN YOYOGI PARK,
AND YOYOGI SELLS ONE OF MY KIDNEY.
THE NEIGHBORING STREETS ARE SO SILENT.
IT SCARES MY UMBRELLA WHICH DECIDES TO HIDE BEHIND MY BACK.
BUTTERFLIES THAT CARRY MY BODY WHICH HAS BEEN UNEASY FOR LIGHT YEARS.
SILENCE.
TRANSPARENT UMBRELLAS,
THEN, THE RETURN OF MY SOUL.
MON AMOUR, TOKYO,
AS LONG AS I MERGE WITH THE GROUND AND,
WE NEVER SPEAK ABOUT IT AGAIN.
YOU HAVE A TOOTHACHE WHEN I DRAG YOU DOWN.
TOKYO, I WAS A DOORMAT, YOU WERE MY FEET.
I’M TURNING IN CIRCLES AND I ALWAYS COME BACK,
IN FRONT OF SHIBUYA 109,110, 111, 112, 113, 114.
TOKYO, MON AMOUR,
YOU ASK ME IF I STILL LOVE YOU,
I RUN AWAY LIKE THE GUY OF THE EXIT SIGN.
BUTTERFLY, LET’S DEMAND SILENCE.
A PASSERBY WHILE WALKING, TAKE MY UMBRELLA.
TOKYO, YOU CALL ME IN TEARS.
AND I’LL BE BACK IN THE MINUTE.
