Jirō Taniguchi. Portrait lointain

Presented as part of the celebrations marking 160 years of friendship between Belgium and Japan, it invites visitors to immerse themselves in the sensitive, poetic and deeply human world of the celebrated mangaka. A unique opportunity to discover the work of one of Japan’s greatest comics artists. The Japanese comic strip artist and screenwriter Jirô Taniguchi (Tottori 1947 – Tokyo 2017) holds a special place in the history of manga. Best known in Europe for A Distant Neighbourhood, The Walking Man and The Summit of the Gods, he developed a deeply personal oeuvre that fused Japanese and European culture. He was a prolific author who explored a wide range of genres over the course of his career: intimate narratives, crime, westerns, historical chronicles, adventure, fantasy, animal stories and even gourmet manga. Taniguchi’s work is notable for its unusual focus on emotions, silence and the details of everyday life, which transforms themundane into a universal experience. In his extraordinarily delicate drawings, he accords as much importance to the characters as to the scenery, the light and the passage of time. Comprising original comic strips from Japan, this exhibition is a fantastic opportunity to discover this outstanding artist. It explores the major themes that permeate his work. Although fascinated by European comic strips, Taniguchi remained profoundly Japanese. He helped to project a different image of manga, far removed from the stereotypes associated with the genre. His work appeals to both comic strip enthusiasts and readers who are discovering manga for the first time.