Photo Exhibition and Film Screening

Chantal Stoman Presents: ŌMECITTÀ

Opening Reception: June 1, 2023 – 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM 

Photo Exhibition: June 2, 2023 - August 5, 2023

Film Screening Every Saturday (1:00 PM & 3:00 PM)

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles
(5700 Wilshire Boulevard, #100 Los Angeles, CA 90036)

Exhibition Hours: 
Mon-Sat 12:00pm-6:00pm 
Closed June 17th, June 19th, July 4th & Sundays 

Admission:
Free

Special Film Screening & Conversation with Chantal Stoman
June 8, 2023 – 7:00 PM 
Lumiere Cinema at The Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills 
(9036 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90211)

Admission:
Free
 

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles is pleased to announce its exhibition of French artist Chantal Stoman's ŌMECITTÀ, a one-of-a-kind photography project with a companion documentary. While in Japan in 2017, Chantal Stoman heard rumors of a town that had once been the epicenter of cinema during the Showa era, though no pictures nor online mentions of it existed. The name of this town was Ōme. After doing her own research and still not being able to find anybody in all of Tokyo who had been to or had even heard of Ōme, Chantal Stoman went there herself and was amazed at what she found. Decorating the town were hand-painted movie posters of classical Hollywood films, all created by one self-trained local artist. The town was beautiful, yet no photos of it could be found online or in any books. It had at one point been the heart of cinema in Japan, but now was a forgotten memory. Through her many trips back to the city over the course of three years, Chantal Stoman captured an intimate portrait of its urban beauty. Additionally, her work hugely impacted the town and its residents, shining light onto a town that was previously unknown to the world and forgotten by its own country. Chantal Stoman's documentary captures in real-time the reaction Ōme's inhabitants have to the town becoming famous once again due to the Ōmecittà project. 

About the Artist:

Chantal Stoman is a French, Paris-based photographer and filmmaker. Her work centers on the human connection to the urban environment. 

After over a decade in the world of fashion, Chantal Stoman made her artistic premiere with A WOMAN’S OBSESSION, observing the special relationship between Japanese women and the world of European luxury brands.   

Broadening her focus, Chantal Stoman took to elevated freeways across the world with LOST HIGHWAY, A PHOTO PROJECT.  Exploring Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Cairo, Hong Kong, and Mumbai, the work shines a light on the humanity hidden in the heart of these great cities, telling an intimate shared tale of magnificent urban environments where borders no longer exist.  
 

First in Rome and then in Jerusalem, her projects L’IMAGE CULTE and WALKING DISTANCE, testify to humanities natural impetus towards “myth cities.” These cities profoundly speak of both their own history and the impact they have had on the world.  Chantal Stoman’s work reveals the promise of these cities’ continued vibrancy and eternal legacies. 

In 2016, invited for an artist residency in Cambodia, she immersed herself in the intimacy of Phnom Penh.  What she discovered about a capital city totally unknown to her gave birth to a new project: VIEWS. 

Chantal Stoman has created a photographic project and companion documentary piece entitled ŌMECITTÀ, thanks to the Centre national des arts plastiques’ support for contemporary documentary photography.   
 
In 2021, during the pandemic’s period of sedentary isolation, she worked on a new project called ÇA A ÉTÉ… about the ephemerality of images. 
 
She is currently working on her next film project L.A L.A End for Ciné . 

Photo Credits: Courtesy of the artist

We would like to thank our partners at the Consulate General of France in Los Angeles, the Centre national des arts plastiques, the Alliance Francaise of Los Angeles, Villa Albertine, and Lumiere Cinema at the Music Hall for their support.