ART | "Polyphilo's Dream" by Nicolas Buffe at The National Museum of Art, Osaka
ART | The First Museum Exhibition in Japan by Rising French Artist Nicolas Buffe
“Nicolas Buffe: Polyphilo’s Dream” at Hara Museum ARC
An exhibition of works by Nicolas Buffe, a rising French artist based in Japan. Titled “Nicolas Buffe: Polyphilo’s Dream,” the show runs from Saturday, April 19, to Sunday, June 29, at the Hara Museum in Shinagawa.
Text by YANAKA Tomomi
Experience an Adventure as the Protagonist "Polyphilo"
Nicolas Buffe garnered acclaim for his art direction of the opera “Orlando,” staged at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in 2012. Born in Paris in 1978, his childhood fascination with Japanese anime and tokusatsu TV shows ignited a strong interest in Japan, leading him to relocate in 2007. He has been based in Japan ever since, developing his artistic practice.
His work is characterized by a magnificent yet lighthearted fusion of Japanese and American subcultures with European traditional arts such as the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In recent years, his unique worldview has garnered attention, notably through his design of the window displays for Ginza Maison Hermès.
This exhibition, Buffe’s first solo show at a museum, transforms the Hara Museum—a former residence—and its surrounding gardens into a stage. Through the perspective of the young protagonist Polyphilo, visitors are invited into a world that can be described as a modern adventure tale, presented through a series of installations.
Nicolas Buffe garnered acclaim for his art direction of the opera “Orlando,” staged at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris in 2012. Born in Paris in 1978, his childhood fascination with Japanese anime and tokusatsu TV shows ignited a strong interest in Japan, leading him to relocate in 2007. He has been based in Japan ever since, developing his artistic practice.
His work is characterized by a magnificent yet lighthearted fusion of Japanese and American subcultures with European traditional arts such as the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In recent years, his unique worldview has garnered attention, notably through his design of the window displays for Ginza Maison Hermès.
This exhibition, Buffe’s first solo show at a museum, transforms the Hara Museum—a former residence—and its surrounding gardens into a stage. Through the perspective of the young protagonist Polyphilo, visitors are invited into a world that can be described as a modern adventure tale, presented through a series of installations.
The exhibition is packed with engaging elements, centered around the theme of “playing seriously.” Visitors follow a path through spaces featuring wolves, mirrors, unicorns, armor, and meditation areas. Furthermore, a multimedia installation utilizing AR (Augmented Reality) allows visitors to don virtual armor and become part of the exhibition.
Nicolas Buffe discovered a surprising similarity between European classical works and the worlds of Japanese role-playing games like “Super Mario Bros.” Through this adventure, he hopes visitors will embody a hero and experience universal themes of love and dreams, struggle and victory, death and rebirth.
“Nicolas Buffe: Polyphilo’s Dream”
Dates: April 19 (Sat) – June 29 (Sun) *Closed Mondays, except for Monday, May 5, which will be open, with Wednesday, May 7, being the substitute closing day.
Hours: 11:00 – 17:00 *Wednesdays until 20:00
Admission: General ¥1100, University/High School Students ¥700, Elementary/Middle School Students ¥500
Venue: Hara Museum
4-7-25 Kita-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-3445-0651