In temporary residence at La Station since September and on the occasion of the end of her residency, Sayo Senoo will present her exhibition entitled The Shameful Crysanthemum II.
“To mark the completion of my temporary residency at La Station, I am exhibiting works related to my project, The Shameful Chrysanthemum. In these works, created using printer and scanner experiments, two images are superimposed in various forms: one depicts part of the chest of a 19th- to 20th-century Japanese leader, the other close-ups of an anus.
The leaders of that era proudly displayed Japanese Legion of Honor medals, inspired by Napoleon’s, which extended down their chests. Following the importation of Western colonialism and expansionism into Japan, they launched foolish invasions in Asia.
Moreover, some of the Japanese Legion of Honor medals were designed using the chrysanthemum flower, a symbol of the emperor’s family.” The chrysanthemum flower is also a metaphor for the anus in the Japanese slang of certain communities.
By superimposing these two images, I question which chrysanthemum is more shameful: these badges or this part of our body?
Sayo Senoo
—
Born in Japan, Sayo Senoo has lived in France for several years. Trained in painting at the Musashino-Bijutsu University of Fine Arts in Tokyo, she had to abandon this practice after a long convalescence following cancer. It was during this period—first as an escape, then as a true artistic language—that she began to explore the limits and potential of photographic presentation.
Her work has been exhibited in salons and festivals in France and Europe, at the Palais de Tokyo (Paris), the Maison de la culture du Japon (Paris), and the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (Germany), among others. His work has been included in several public collections, such as the Kandinsky Library, the Documentation and Research Center of the Centre Pompidou – National Museum of Modern Art in Paris, and the Klingspor Museum in Offenbach, Germany.
This exhibition is the result of a temporary residency offered by La Station and supported by the DRAC PACA (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region).
The leaders of that era proudly displayed Japanese Legion of Honor medals, inspired by Napoleon’s, which extended down their chests. Following the importation of Western colonialism and expansionism into Japan, they launched foolish invasions in Asia.
Moreover, some of the Japanese Legion of Honor medals were designed using the chrysanthemum flower, a symbol of the emperor’s family.” The chrysanthemum flower is also a metaphor for the anus in the Japanese slang of certain communities.
By superimposing these two images, I question which chrysanthemum is more shameful: these badges or this part of our body?
Sayo Senoo
—
Born in Japan, Sayo Senoo has lived in France for several years. Trained in painting at the Musashino-Bijutsu University of Fine Arts in Tokyo, she had to abandon this practice after a long convalescence following cancer. It was during this period—first as an escape, then as a true artistic language—that she began to explore the limits and potential of photographic presentation.
Her work has been exhibited in salons and festivals in France and Europe, at the Palais de Tokyo (Paris), the Maison de la culture du Japon (Paris), and the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (Germany), among others. His work has been included in several public collections, such as the Kandinsky Library, the Documentation and Research Center of the Centre Pompidou – National Museum of Modern Art in Paris, and the Klingspor Museum in Offenbach, Germany.
This exhibition is the result of a temporary residency offered by La Station and supported by the DRAC PACA (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region).
Opening times
Opening times
From 6 December 2025 until 31 December 2025 - Open everyday
Location
Location
Contact The Shameful Chrysanthemum II
- www.lastation.org
Spoken languages
Spoken languages
