Cellnes's Works Exploring Human Universality,
and Shunga Depicting Human Life, Meet Across Eras

Pierre Cellnes is a photographer and performance artist born in France. After studying art at Les Ateliers du Carrousel at the Louvre in Paris and working in photography in his early twenties, he moved to the United States and achieved success in the business world. He then returned to the art world, engaging in prolific artistic activities and holding solo exhibitions at renowned galleries and museums in the US and internationally.

The exhibition 'Pierre Cellnes & Shunga' at CHANEL NEXUS HALL presents Cellnes's photographic series 'Synonyms' alongside exquisite Shunga from the collection of Sōkyūdō Urakami and Mitsuru Urakami. Cellnes has consistently explored the similarities that exist among people worldwide through his work. In the pieces exhibited here, he captures individuals or couples of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds as subjects, expressing abstract forms through monochrome silhouettes. Each artwork is titled with the subject's name, allowing viewers to infer their gender, nationality, and cultural background only through this information.


Yet, despite the diversity inferred from the subjects' names, the abstract silhouettes of the bodies express the universal human theme of sex and sexuality. Cellnes states, 'While each of us is unique and different from others, we also share universal commonalities. That is why we should be more accepting of people from different cultures, lifestyles, and backgrounds.'

Displayed alongside Cellnes's photographic works are numerous exquisite Shunga from the Sōkyūdō Urakami and Mitsuru Urakami collection. Shunga is a genre of Ukiyo-e, and during the Edo period, many artists experimented with various pictorial techniques. Shunga, which depicts human love and sexuality with a great sense of humor, is also known as 'laughter pictures' and was popular among both men and women. This exhibition features works by artists such as Suzuki Harunobu, Torii Kiyonaga, Kitagawa Utamaro, and Katsushika Hokusai, depicting the universal aspects of human life, creating a unique contrast with Cellnes's photographs that transcend time and borders.



Pierre Cellnes & Shunga

Dates | First Period: Wednesday, March 13 – Wednesday, March 27, 2019; Second Period: Friday, March 29 – Sunday, April 7
Closed | Thursday, March 28
Venue | CHANEL NEXUS HALL
Address | 4F Chanel Ginza Building, 3-5-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku
Hours | 12:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Related Event: 'The Charm of Shunga' – Gallery Talk by Mitsuru Urakami

First Session (First Period): Friday, March 15, 2019, 7:45 PM – 8:30 PM
Second Session (Second Period): Friday, March 29, 2019, 7:45 PM – 8:30 PM
Apply for the event here
https://chanelnexushall.jp/program/2019/shunga/