Via the Open Call for Visual Photographers that was addressed in the context of the project “MYSTERY 8_Eyes On Japan” -always under the artistic supervision of Mikiko Kikuta and the EU- Japan Fest Japan committee – the Greek photographer Antonis Theodoridis was chosen to travel to Japan and record the traces of the Japanese culture in the prefecture of Osaka.
Then, he stayed in Eleusis in order to continue his photographic observation, looking for possible convergences and divergences of the two geographical places and historical cultures in the present day. As a creative epilogue to his journey, Antonis Theodoridis returns to Elefsina for a Photo Exhibition under the title “The Return of Spring and other Rites of Passage”. The exhibition is dedicated to the convergences and contrasts of those two worlds, trying to discover a common ground through universal concepts such as the change of seasons or the transitions from decay to rebirth, from mourning to joy, from childhood to adulthood.
Few words about European Eyes on Japan / Japan Today by Mikiko Kikuta:
Launched in 1999, the European Eyes on Japan / Japan Today photography project brought engaging photographers from the various countries of Europe to Japan to rediscover in their work aspects of our contemporary environment that we have taken for granted and overlooked.
Their work was shown in exhibitions in Europe and in the Japanese prefectures where they worked. In Europe, this was an opportunity to reach beyond stereotypes and expose viewers to the Japan of today. To date, 69 such European photographers have visited to capture the 43 prefectures of Japan in their own ways. This time for vol.23, Antonis Theodoridis from Greece and Andrea Palásti from Serbia participated on the project and stayed in Osaka. The project is scheduled to continue every year and to cover all 47 Japanese prefectures.
