CHANEL NEXUS HALL will host a photo exhibition by Vasantha Yogananthan titled "A Myth of Two Souls." The exhibition will run from September 3rd to 29th.

Longing For Love, Danushkodi, India, 2018 ©Vasantha Yogananthan

Vasantha Yogananthan is a notable French photographer who won the Magnum Photo Award in 2015 and the ICP (International Center of Photography) Infinity Award in 2017 as a promising new photographer of the year. Through his work, he explores a world that lies between documentary and fiction. This will be his first exhibition in Japan.


Luva And Kusha Munger, India, 2014 ©Vasantha Yogananthan

The series of works in this exhibition, "A Myth of Two Souls," was inspired by the Ramayana, compiled by the poet Valmiki around 300 BC. The Ramayana is one of the sacred scriptures of Hinduism and is one of India's two great epics, along with the Mahabharata. It has been rewritten and reinterpreted countless times over the centuries, and remains widely loved in India and Southeast Asia today through a variety of media, including not only books but also stage plays, comics, and TV dramas.

Since 2013, Yogananthan has been tracing the story of the Ramayana from north to south across India, living with local people and filming with inspiration from the Ramayana. His series of works, centered around the concept of a journey through time and space, proposes a modern reinterpretation of this classic work.


Magic Jungle, Jog Falls, India, 2016 ©Vasantha Yogananthan
Rama Combing His Hair Ayodhya, India, 2015 ©Vasantha Yogananthan

Solo exhibition “A Myth of Two” The story of "Souls" unfolds through photographs of landscapes depicted in the Ramayana, legendary to modern Indians, and local people appearing as characters from the Ramayana, reenacting scenes from the story.


Secret Door Avani, India, 2016 ©Vasantha Yogananthan

The photographs were shot in black and white using a 4x5 inch large-format camera and colored by an Indian artist trained in traditional hand coloring. They invite the viewer on an epic journey where the line between reality and fiction becomes blurred.


The Crossing, Madhubani, India, 2014 ©Vasantha Yogananthan

This project is still ongoing, and between 2016 and 2020, seven photo books corresponding to all seven volumes of the Ramayana will be published. Be sure to check them out along with this exhibition.