Since the Bronze Age, metal in its many guises has accompanied the development of numerous human civilisations. This is thanks to the various properties of the ores from which it is derived, be they physical, mechanical, or magnetic, but also to the wealth of techniques that have emerged to transform these traits. In this respect, metal is characterised by a deep ambivalence, one which Le Forum curator Reiko Setsuda looks to explore in an exhibition, alongside the launch of the book “Savoir & Faire: Metal”, published by Iwanami Shoten.

Soberly entitled “Metal”, the collective exhibition at Le Forum approaches this eponymous material in a multifaceted way, exploring its various cultural manifestations through the eyes of three artists who engage with it across the fields of music, cinema, painting and sculpture. In this way, they delve into the different aspects of this material, which has persisted through time from medieval alchemy to modern rationality. This ambiguity also lies in the relationship of metal to darkness and light, or to the many different sounds it can produce, dimensions which give it a symbolic resonance that is broader still. 

Visual artist Élodie Lesourd, who was born in France in 1978, analyses the semiotics of metal music. Her exploration of the links between visual art and music focuses in particular on extreme genres such as black metal. Finnish artist and director Maiko Endo, who was born in 1981, meanwhile creates inner worlds through video works and installations that use traditional Japanese materials such as vermilion and mercury. Finally, artist and metal mould craftsman Chu Enoki, who was born in Japan in 1944 and whose work has greatly influenced the national art scene, exhibits sculptures made from recycled scrap metal, many of which represent futuristic cities.

As the third edition of the Skills Academy Japan begins its exploration of metal, these three artistic approaches invite the public to experience this material in all its ambivalence.