Confusion arises from differing perspectives.

This is my third exhibition in Paris since 2005. The venue this time is a long-established concept store that underwent a renewal and reopened last autumn. It’s a space designed to allow visitors to experience art seamlessly integrated into daily life. Alongside portraits displayed on the walls of the 600-square-meter store, which also houses a restaurant, I’ve arranged a wide variety of works, including three-dimensional pieces and products I’ve designed.





It’s surprisingly difficult to present different genres in the same space. While confusion arises from the differing perspectives of viewers, that is precisely the point of this exhibition.

For example, if one views the exhibition with kimono as clothing as the primary focus, my portraits wearing kimono might be perceived as promotional photos for kimono sales, and I, as a model. The products might suddenly appear distinctly Japanese, and even the patterns used might seem like traditional Japanese motifs. This way of interpreting things is common among Japanese people, likely because kimono as clothing is so familiar.

What about the people of Paris? In France, a country where photography is paramount, my portraits seemed to be the main focus of interest. I felt this strongly at the venue. Questions concentrated on the portraits—the concept, of course, but also my poses in the photographs, the meaning of the accessories I held, and the colors and combinations of the kimono. To them, I am an artist who uses kimono to create photographic expressions.





Photographs positioned as art, kimono as crafts or clothing, stationery and tenugui as daily necessities or merchandise, scarves and bags. Each person perceives the other elements through the lens of what interests them most. Simultaneously, my identity and title shift, refusing to be confined to a single category. Think of Takahashi Hiroko as a kind of concept store. The entirety of my activities, my very being, is a cohesive whole composed of various forms of expression selected through my sensibility. I don't need existing labels. I want to be an entity that is not confined by anything, possessing the freedom to transform diversely depending on the perspective of the viewer. This exhibition truly expresses me.