Okinawa mon amour
by Chloé Jafé
Okinawa is often associated with its paradise seaside resort, yet the island has many other facets. Okinawa’s Ryukyu culture is little known; spirituality, dialects, and cuisine are very different from the main Japanese archipelago.
For three years, I immersed myself in the spirit of the island, my resulting images reflecting my introspection, desires, and anxieties. Anonymous notes from love hotels visitors’ books became the thread of a love story for which I couldn’t find words. Borrowed from strangers, these sentiments echoed my experiences and feelings:
Love... Lust… Drunkenness… Deception...
I found the negatives from the 1970s in an abandoned house. They remind me of the imprint of the past, that I could feel strongly, and the ongoing presence of the American army on its many bases, seventy-five years after the war.
This is my diary, Grapefruit Moon.
2017.3.2
6 months
Thank you always!
I am happy we are always together!!! Letʼs do our best together
Thank you always.
You have been very helpful
You are being very careful with me, right? Iʼm sorry. Thank you. Am I good enough for you?
I am very anxious.
You are telling me that everything is OK but... because I am insecure, I pretend to be strong. I have to keep it together.
Iʼm sorry to give you trouble.
Youʼre a good person. Sorry....
Artist BIO
Born in France in 1984, Chloé Jafé is an independent, interdisciplinary photographer.
In 2006, she worked as a studio assistant at the Pin-Up studio in Paris. In 2009, she continued her interest in photography by graduating from the Central Saint Martins in London. Her graduation project "Him", a poetic installation based around the search for a friend that she lost contact with, is held in the private collection of the school. From 2010 to 2012 she worked at the Magnum Photos London office.
In 2013, she moved to Japan to carry out her personal work. The reportage "Inochi Azukemasu”, the first chapter of her current Japanese series, won the 2017 Talent Award. It was exhibited at the French National Library in Paris. The two other chapters, “Okinawa mon Amour”, and “Osaka Ben” who was supported by the CNAP, are also showing a different Japan.