As part of the "Sumo - L'équilibre absolu" exhibition, the Musée départemental des arts asiatiques in Nice presents the photographic exhibition "Corps à Corps", Philippe MarInig and sumo wrestlers, until February 1, 2026.
Corps à corps presents the quintessence of a collection of thousands of photographs patiently built up by Philippe Marinig since 2007, when the artist first entered the training room of a sumō stable - a place called a heya, literally "room" in Japanese, where extraordinary bodies are put to the test, day after day.
His approach is based on a desire to bear witness, but also to pass on his work. His photographs do not seek to exoticize a little-known practice, nor to confine it to a fixed vision of Japan. On the contrary, they invite us to consider sumō as a symbolic language, where the power of struggling bodies becomes the mirror of our own quest for balance and meaning.
His approach is based on a desire to bear witness, but also to pass on his work. His photographs do not seek to exoticize a little-known practice, nor to confine it to a fixed vision of Japan. On the contrary, they invite us to consider sumō as a symbolic language, where the power of struggling bodies becomes the mirror of our own quest for balance and meaning.
