Freely - 自由に
Michelle Inaner
2020
Artist Statement
Fantasies usually cannot live up to their expectations and expectations are certainly high for Japan. Since moving to Japan, some aspects have been sobering, others deeply inspiring. Overcrowded places, outdated analog systems and inflexible working conditions have been gaining attention due to the current pandemic. It is especially interesting to witness Japan’s daily life shifting and adapting – unintentionally – at the mercy of COVID-19. Japan is reconsidering its working and co-existing conditions. "Freely - 自由に" represents the story of an artist finding new creative freedom through the time spent in Japan while the country was dealing with a pandemic in a series of four photographs.
Fallen in love with this foreign world through film, music and literature, I moved to Japan in 2019. Coming out of an academic field that gave me little satisfaction, I dived into a world that would change me and, in a way, free me. Captured through the eye of my film camera, my journey to Japan has been marked by two aspects primarily: the process of a country dealing with a pandemic and a feeling of personal, creative freedom that I have not felt before.
Artist Bio
A medical doctor turned creative exploring Japan through the lens of her film camera. Born 1993 in Switzerland and raised in Austria, where she graduated from Medical University of Vienna. Moved to Japan in 2019 and has been living in Tokyo ever since. A deep fascination for everything old, her media of choice is film photography. Other interests include music, literature, fashion and mental health.