Thierry Delarue : Hitori Tabi (Travel Alone)
27th Jan to 13th Feb 2006

The Photographer's Gallery
140 Hill Street, #01-02
Admission is Free
(Closed for Chinese New Year on 29 th to 31 st Jan and on Tuesdays and Sundays except on 5th Feb)

“A true geisha can stop a man in his tracks with a single look”
–   Memoirs of a Geisha

Hitori Tabi (Travel Alone) offers a selection of photographic prints of traditional Japan.  

In 2001, photographer Thierry Delarue traveled solo to Kyoto where he experienced living in a Zen monastery and discovered the ineffable beauty of traditional Japanese art and aesthetics, capturing the old charm of Japan on black and white with his camera.

Through personal relations (and a great deal of GOOD LUCK), Thierry was able to gain access to the private quarters of the world of Maiko (Geisha-in-training) and had the fortuitous privilege of being introduced to the performance and training of the floating world. Thierry attended tea ceremonies and classical dance performances by Geisha and Maiko (Geisha-in-training).

According to Thierry, Geisha are magical fairies that bring men to an “unreal world”, with subtle coquetry through their white painted faces, dance performances, skillfully trained demure mannerism and traditional Kyoto accents. “Eye contact” is one of the important techniques Geisha uses to capture a man's heart.   Part of the exhibit photographs cleverly showcase Nagashi-me ( flirtatious glance) and Koroshi-me (killer glance).

During his trip, Thierry also explored Noh theatre, Bunraku and Kabuki, which had a profound effect on his aesthetic senses, fundamentally changing his personal definition of ‘beauty'.

The exhibition ‘Hitori Tabi' contains two sections:

Section 1: Focuses on Geisha and Karyu-kai 花柳界 (the World of Flowers and Willows).
Section 2: A small but diverse collection of prints that aim to invite the viewer to experience an intimate insight into simple beauty of historical Japan, whether it be a castle or the light of an ancient forest.

About The Photographer

Thierry Delarue was born in Australia in 1970 and grew up in the outback, where his French Opal miner parents still live today. Following graduate studies in Architecture & Industry design in Australia and France, Thierry lived and worked in Tokyo, London before finally settling down in Singapore. Thierry Delarue is a permanent resident in Singapore and lives here with his wife, who is of Japanese descent.
thierry@thierrydelarue.com