At Chanel Nexus Hall in Ginza, a photography exhibition by contemporary composer Jacopo Baboni Schilingi will be held, featuring performances where musical scores are drawn onto the human body, treated as a canvas. The exhibition runs from Wednesday, January 15 to Sunday, February 16, 2020.

Jacopo Baboni Schilingi, born in Italy in 1971, is a contemporary music composer currently based in Paris. He has composed for soloists, ensembles, and orchestras, as well as creating music for film and installations.

The "Bodyscore" series, a form of performance art where musical scores are directly hand-drawn onto the human skin, is both an act of composition and a painting created on the body as a canvas. The bodies adorned with scores are then posed in various ways, creating a multifaceted work that transcends music, painting, and photography.

Baboni Schilingi calls these photographs IDENTIGRAPHIES. A coined term, literally meaning "the writing of identity (self-identity, uniqueness, individuality)," each photograph is imbued with the artist's instantaneous artistic choices and the consciousness behind those decisions. How Baboni Schilingi poses the models is intimately connected to the music he wishes to create, and their poses express the nature of his compositions. By passing through the medium of the body, Baboni Schilingi's music gains a heightened expressiveness.

This exhibition features approximately 30 photographic works. Some of the displayed photographs trigger music when a viewer stands before them. Visitors can experience Baboni Schilingi's work using not only sight and hearing, but all their senses.

In anticipation of this exhibition, a concert in collaboration with Chanel Nexus Hall and Baboni Schilingi was held on Wednesday, November 20, 2019. In addition to the string quartet "N.5" composed by Baboni Schilingi, new sounds utilizing a special system devised by the artist himself were presented.

All photos @ Jacopo Baboni Schilingi

Jacopo Baboni Schilingi Exhibition Bodyscore – the soul signature
Venue | Chanel Nexus Hall
Address | 3-5-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Chanel Ginza Building 4F
Dates | January 15 (Wed) – February 16 (Sun), 2020, Open daily
Hours | 12:00 PM – 7:30 PM