A special program by Keiko Kusakabe
Ninagawa Mika: film director
Ninagawa Mika began her film career in 2006 with the movie Sakuran, with a screenplay by Tanada Yuki. The film, set in the district of Yoshiwara during the Edo period, tells the story of a young woman who is instructed to become a high-ranking oiran. Although the plot is not particularly original, the film impresses the audience thanks to its rich, saturated colours and a well-defined directorial identity. Her best known film Helter Skelter appeared in 2012 and is based on a manga by Okazaki Kyōko. The main character is Lilico, an undisputed star of the fashion world. It is a criticism of the absurdity of a blind and empty search for beauty: the protagonist is only interested in her own body, as is the industry she is working for. The film is a brightly coloured body horror that dwells on the transience of one’s body and on the impermanence of beauty. The protagonists of these two films have in common the beauty that allows them to be at the peak of their careers. This way, Ninagawa problematizes the objectification of women in contemporary Japanese society.
In 2019, she shot No Longer Human based on the life of the important Japanese writer Dazai Osamu, protagonist of a dissolute life that ended with his suicide in 1948. In 2020, the TV series Follower, distributed by Netflix, was released. This work is also set in the world of fashion with a particular focus on social networks and the role of photography, a subject very dear to her. In this work, the difficulties faced by the female characters are resolved by the sisterhood between them.
Her style of bright colours and strong visual impact has become an iconic trait of this internationally acclaimed director. However, this should not fool us: Ninagawa Mika is a mature director who knows how to combine stylistic and visual research with depth of meaning.
Ninagawa Mika: photographer
Besides being active in the field of filmmaking, Ninagawa Mika is also a photographer. Her works are often characterized by dynamic images, saturated colors and cherry blossoms. In an interview with Yuka Yamaji, another artist, she said that her first works were homemade self-portraits in front of the mirror and caricatures of her favorite Barbie dolls. According to the artist, the magic behind photography consists of producing images without imperfections and she sees this art as a tool to steal short-lived moments of emotion and expression.
In the wake of the third wave of the feminist movements of the 1990s, Ninagawa became an icon of the Japanese Girly Photo movement, a specific trend that drove millions of Japanese girls to document every moment of their everyday life with a camera. The photographer thus decided to use the enormous visibility potential of the Girly universe to launch herself on the international art scene. In 2000 she won the Kimura Ihei Award.
Her first series of art installations was called “Hearthly flowers, heavenly colors” that stemmed from the idea that – when shooting – objects blend with the photographer and the photographer blends with the objects. Therefore, simple subjects such as rooms complete a transformation that brings them to become spaces beyond the three dimensions. Other exhibitions created by Ninagawa Mika are “Three rooms” and “Eternity in a Moment”. Some examples of public installations are “Dogo Art 2015” and “Lee Garden One”. The “Embracing Lights” project is centered around butterflies and based on the idea that butterflies appear only when human activity is in harmony with the environment.
Flowers are one of the main and recurring elements in her photography, in particular sakura flowers, the cherry blossom symbol of Japan: she considers them a source of spiritual elevation.
Diventare Ninagawa Mika
Autobiography
In 2023 Cue Press published the author’s autobiography entitled “Becoming Ninagawa Mika,” translated by Corrado Cucchi, edited by Roberta Novielli and Francesco Vitucci, presented at this special program.
Filmography
Sakuran – 2007 (111 minutes)
Helter-Skelter – 2012 (127 minutes)
Diner – 2019 (117 minutes)
No Longer Human – Ningen shikkaku – 2019 (120 minutes)
xxxHOLiC – 2022 (110 minutes)
