[Title] Legend of the Savior Hermès
[Artist] Yasuhiro Fujiwara
[Date]January 21- March 16, 2010
Raising the curtain on Hermès window displays in 2010, creations that will be played out under the annual theme of “Tales to be Told,” is artist Yasuhiro Fujiwara. Featured in the first window of the year is a celebrated tale, orchestrated by Fujiwara with a magnificent horse as the crowning symbol.
In the mythical state of “Artisan,” horses were worshipped and esteemed from ancient times. In that land, a legend was passed down over the generations, based on the following story: “Appearing in a sea of clouds will be a beautiful Queen, along with a mighty horse with a golden mane. When the Queen and the charger merge into one, miracles will occur.”
The people of Artisan, however, found themselves so preoccupied over conflicts with other lands that they eventually forgot all about this legend. Materializing now, however, to perform miracles and save the world from never-ending war and strife, is the celebrated horse Hermès.
The window on the right portrays the horse, which has emerged from a sea of clouds together with the Queen, in dynamic visual style. In contrast, the window on the left contains the more stern dimensions of a majestic bastion crafted in a horse motif. In the small window, furthermore, 16 scenes from the legend of the Savior Hermès are presented separately and in fascinating images.
The horse of golden mane boasts a truly powerful and spirited presence. The steed’s entire body is covered with beads – an iconic aspect in most of Fujiwara’s creations. The beaded mane of gold reflects light in rich diffusion, underscoring the commanding charisma of the horse of legend as it emerges from the sea of clouds. Swathing the graphically fashioned body of the horse in beads clearly enriches the scene with a firm dose of the abstract. As a result, this creature effectively ascends to the dimension of a stirring symbol of the Kingdom.
The legend of the Savior Hermès…
The portrayal of this compelling story in boutique window space zooms in, with a firm thrust of visual reality, on those who pause to view the scene. In that way, the story sows the seeds for new “tales to be told” in the hearts and minds of those who pass by and gaze in.
Yasuhiro Fujiwara
Born in Mie Prefecture in 1968, Yasuhiro Fujiwara graduated from the Faculty of Art, Design and Oil Painting of Tama Art University in 1992. He then traveled to London to further his studies at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, completing a Master’s course in at that institution’s school of art in 2002. He has presented exhibitions at Mori Yu Gallery in Tokyo and numerous other venues both in Japan and abroad, with his works also included in the collection of THYSSEN–BORNEMISZA ART CONTEMPORARY. Fujiwara continues to steadily expand his depth and reputation as an artist, working out of a studio in his native Mie Prefecture as his base of operations.