Fashion model Angela Reynolds currently acts as Director for contemporary art gallery PERROTIN Tokyo. She started her fashion modeling career at the age of 14 and later relocated to London, England at the age of 20. She has appeared in numerous magazines including Vogue Italia, British Vogue, Jalouse, Dazed & Confused, Numero Tokyo, Harpers Bazaar Japan, and Ryuko Tsushin, as well as runway shows and advertisements for Shiseido, Nike, and Uniqlo, and others.

Following her successful career as a model, Angela ventured into freelance journalism. It was during this period that her encounters with the world of contemporary art left a profound impression, propelling her to challenge herself in yet a new world, despite lacking prior experience in the art industry. We spoke with her about her motivations in pursuing a career in the art world, especially after transitioning from a different industry.

–What made you step into the world of art from modeling?

Angela Reynolds (Angela): It all began when I started feeling uneasy about receiving compliments at every photo shoot, as a model. At the age of thirty, I felt a sense of crisis and felt that my inner self would stagnate unless I had more challenge and discovery in my life. If I was going to continue on my path as a model I knew I needed to explore new avenues of self-expression. I became involved in various Not-for-Profit Organizations, began writing articles, and collaborated with brands in jewelry and fashion design. I particularly loved writing, and decided to venture into freelance journalism. I preferred to write for foreign magazines where I was not recognized for my identity as a model.

As I interviewed creators in various fields such as architects and designers, I often found them discussing fine art. Despite my extensive research prior to conducting these interviews, time and again I felt my knowledge of art and artists was insufficient to dig deeper during the precious time I had with my subjects. I immersed myself in study so I could better understand the individuals I was interested in. The more I frequented galleries and museums, the more captivated I became. Even if I initially didn’t feel a strong connection to a particular artist or style, I often discovered a profound connection once I saw the artworks in person and gained some knowledge about the artist. Within this process of discovery, I felt the tremendous potential and energy of art, leading me to yearn to be involved in this industry.

–How did you learn about art?

Angela: I actually had no prior background in art. However, my English ability gave me the opportunity to speak to visiting artists and art professionals at gallery openings, especially at  SCAI THE BATHHOUSE gallery which I regularly visited. I attended many of their openings and sometimes did some translating for them. One day at the gallery, I was struck by a work by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and, completely captivated by its magic, I found myself asking the gallerist for an opportunity to be more involved in the gallery. After some persistence on my part, Mr. Shiraishi, the gallery owner, kindly agreed to give me a trial period. Without any formal training nor prior experience working for any company, I started out by taking on miscellaneous tasks. Gradually, learning on the job, I built up my skills through lots of trial and error. I failed again and again, but I knew I had to pull through. Those were days of intense training.

Challenging a new world in her 30s

–As you get older, don’t you feel uneasy about taking on new challenges?

Angela: On the contrary, I aim to remain active well into my seventies, so I don’t have any hesitation about pursuing new ventures. In fact, I am the type of person who thrives on taking on new challenges. Before I entered the art industry, I visited UNHCR refugee camps, traveled to Rwanda as an ambassador for Table for Two – an initiative that provides school lunches to children in developing countries — and journeyed to Bangladesh for a project with the fair-trade clothing brand People Tree. I’ve learned that if you don’t challenge yourself, you cannot fail; if you don’t fail, you don’t experience the deep joy and learning that comes from growth. Learning fosters gratitude, humility, and an understanding of the struggles faced by others. What I find through constant self-reflection and challenge is to me more meaningful than the stability of a familiar environment. This is what propelled me to dive into the art industry.

–Along with being Director, you act as an artist liaison at PERROTIN. Could you tell us about this work?

Angela: An artist liaison’s role is similar to that of an artist manager. We take a long-term approach to view and manage artists’ careers, creating presentation materials to introduce them to museums, clients, and institutions, determine prices on artworks, facilitate connections with various individuals, assist with production research, attend exhibition openings, and so on. We try to provide comprehensive support in any way necessary to each individual artist. At the moment, I am responsible for three artists at Perrotin —  Eddie Martinez, Barry McGee, and Mark Ryden.

–What criteria is applied when selecting the artists you work with?

Angela: The selection process involves extensive discussions among PERROTIN’s global directors. We approach the decision-making process with a long-term commitment in mind, as the relationship with an artist is intimate and formative for both sides. Therefore, we invest significant time and consideration in assessing various factors before finalizing our selection.　

–What is important to you in building a relationship with an artist?

Angela: One primary aspect I prioiritise is understanding the boundaries of an artist’s creative territory. It’s crucial to determine early on which areas I am allowed to navigate and which areas I should avoid. Drawing from my experience in modeling and having support from a manager, I’ve learned how to be attentive to the sensitivities and preferences of individuals. Artists often possess a heightened sensitivity and a rich and unique worldview, and it is important to respect their natural way of being and honor their personal space in order to foster a strong trust relationship.

–It shows how sincere you are working with artists.

Angela: Thank you for your kind words. When it comes to working with an artist, I truly believe in treating them with utmost love and respect. Every artist I’ve had the privilege of working with pours their heart and soul into their work, and it’s only fair that I reciprocate that dedication. This mindset extends into my daily life, especially in interactions with people and situations that seem unfamiliar or complex to me. This is something I strongly felt during my battle with terminal cancer in the past. While I was recuperating in London, the effects of anticancer drugs caused my hair and nails to fall out. However, with the help of a wig, I could conceal my illness from others. This experience reminded me that even the person assisting us at the supermarket or our neighbor may be silently struggling with their own health issues. It’s a powerful reminder that many people around us are enduring immense hardships, even if we are unaware of their battles. Since I realized this, I make a conscious effort to approach others with empathy, remembering that everyone carries their own pain, experiences, and something they deeply cherish in their life. We are all fighting and striving to survive.

–In your personal life, you are a wife and mother; how do you maintain a work-life balance?

Angela: Navigating life’s transitions and deciding how to move on to the next chapter is a deeply personal journey. When one starts family life, one’s relationship with work significantly changes. While I hold immense value and passion for my work, I’ve learned the importance of setting clear boundaries that allow for dedicated time for myself and my family. At first, I grappled with finding this balance, but eventually I discovered that equivalent (sometimes better) results can be achieved even under restricted conditions. Until then, I had believed that relentlessly dedicating my waking hours to working and studying was the only way I could fulfill my responsibilities – especially given that I had been granted the opportunity to work in a remarkable gallery with exceptional colleagues despite my lack of experience.

–I got the impression that you are a person of such a strict self-discipline.

Angela: Oh, really (laughs)? I actually think I have quite a laid-back personality, but perhaps I’ve developed a knack for pushing through adversity. In life, we all experience moments of feeling inferior, thinking we’re not good enough or comparing oneself to others. But that self-image is merely a selfish illusion, based not on actual results but judgements derived from unchangeable past experiences. It’s important to drop that critical image and simply act constructively towards the next step. Creating a favorable environment can completely reshape our experience and the value of our contributions.

— Finally, what do you think is the power of art in times of turmoil, when we have pandemics, wars, and earthquakes?

Angela: Art plays a vital role during uncertain times. Even in times of peace, people feel pain and emptiness, search for meaning, and experience conflict. Art in its various forms can rescue us from such suffering, either for a brief moment’s solace, or sometimes definitively shifting one’s perspective. For instance, sitting in front of your favorite painting, the tears flowing down your face can save you. The same can be said about music, movies, theater, and other artistic expressions. Connecting with the oasis of the heart through artwork revitalises our energy, offering respite from the challenges we face and giving us the courage to go back and confront them.

Photography Anna Miyoshi（TRON）
Hair & Make-up Mikako Kikuchi（TRON）

Jacket ¥29,000, Pants ¥19,000 / supplied by styling/ (styling/ Lumine Shinjuku 1/ 03-6302-0213), other items worn by Angela are her own

The post From Modeling to Art World; Why PERROTIN director Angela Reynolds made a significant career shift appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

 Tu es mon Tresor is a denim brand by Aimi Sahara. The brand, which creates designs that speak to women’s bodies and sensibilities, has collaborated with many women artists through the fashion magazine SSAW, a magazine from Paris/Helsinki. One of the women Tu es mon Tresor has worked with is New York-based photographer Jenna Westra. After working on an editorial for the fall/winter issue of the magazine, they had an exhibition for 1977- Summer Residency and Shop, which was held at a house in Atami designed by architect Junzo Yoshimura. As such, the pair continue to deepen their friendship. We spoke to Sahara and Westra—who share many ideas and attitudes regarding expression—about how their collaborations came about and their thoughts on women’s bodies and sensibilities.

—How did your collaborations come about?

Jenna Westra: Aimi discovered my work after seeing my editorial in SSAW. Chris (Vidal Tenomaa), the editor-in-chief of SSAW, is our mutual friend, and he asked if I’d like to do a project with her. So, after creating an editorial with Tu es mon Tresor for the magazine’s fall/winter 2022 issue, we continued collaborating for 1977-. Also, she kindly told me she wanted to sell my photo books on her brand’s website and events in Japan. We’ve built a close relationship. I relate so much to her way of being as a woman artist and how she wants her voice to be heard. 

Aimi Sahara: I’ve worked on projects with SSAW for over three years. I’ve collaborated with many women photographers for the editorials I’ve worked on until then, but Chris suggested I work with Jenna for the next shoot. He also loves her work, and this project came out of my wish to create a story with a woman my age with a similar sensibility. 

Looking at one’s own body and sensibility through photography and clothes

—As artists, I’m sure you contemplate your bodies and sensibilities as women. What made you pursue your respective creative endeavors as a designer and photographer?

Westra: I studied painting at university. I tried to reproduce a specific subject—my body—in a performative way. I traced my silhouette and used my body to paint the blank spaces. I feel like the act of reproducing has something in common with photography. Much like how a photo appears once an image and light come into contact with printing paper, I made paintings by putting my body and paint on the canvas. I became interested in photography after I graduated from university, and at first, I was drawn to cameras themselves more than taking photos. I was curious about the mechanism of cameras and printing technology, so I would fix cameras I found at flea markets and secondhand stores and use them. At first, I took photos of myself as the subject to test them out. After that, I really started seeing photography as a means of expression. Once the purpose and direction of my shoots became clear, I stopped using myself as the subject and began inviting friends to my studio so I could take photos of them. In retrospect, the act of reproducing my body might’ve been one means of self-discovery. 

Sahara: In my case, I may have tried to overcome the damage done to me as a woman through fashion. I believe many women have experienced being hurt because they’re women. I felt spiritually liberated when I added pearls and gems to jeans, which were initially made as men’s workwear, thus recreating them through a woman’s perspective. This was in 2010 when I started my brand. Because society and I have matured since then, I began wanting to work with women’s bodies instead of symbolic femininity and masculinity. Until recently, my designs would look like adding original embroidery to vintage-looking jeans, but today, I try to design jeans by reinterpreting them from scratch so women can wear them easily and comfortably. The fabric is softer, and the patterns have become curvier than before. Also, the buckle belt became necessary to adjust the jeans to a woman’s body, which changes each month. How I express myself has changed, but my interest in women’s bodies and sensibilities has always been the driving force.

Collaborating with each other for the second time: 1977- Summer Residency Shop

—What was your initial vision for the photo exhibition?

Westra: The first thing that came to mind was the benefactor and former owner of the house, a businesswoman. I imagined what she would think of my work being exhibited. It was the perfect place to show my work: a house made for a woman (benefactor). The color and texture of the space became essential elements to consider. The exhibition was made of a combination of photos I took for the brand and others I had taken since 2010. When I look at my old negatives, I can tell my tendencies as a photographer: I took the photos but didn’t print them out. By understanding such tendencies, I feel like I was naturally able to decide what to take photos of next—for instance, sequences and overlaps of images. Until now, those [motifs] appeared as mirrors, water, and shadows. In Kayla with Found Slide Projections 1-3, which I took for the exhibition, I depicted the overlapping of images in a new way by projecting a photo of plants taken in the 70s onto the model with a projector.

—When you saw the photos, did you think the world of Tu es mon Tresor had something in common with Jenna-san’s work?

Sahara: The photos Jenna sent me were amazing and suited any space, which was exciting. It’s tough to communicate my thoughts to the other person with words, but I could relate to how Jenna, who’s of the same generation as me, understands the concept of time and expresses herself. She tries to live positively through expression and human connections made with emotions and aesthetics. When Jenna was staying in Japan, we had the opportunity to talk about literature, and strange enough, we had similar tastes in authors and poets (Kate Zambreno, Joan Didion, Sylvia Plath). I feel like I understood what made me feel close to her in our collaborations. Art, literature, and fashion make people bond strongly, more than verbal communication.

—What did you think after your 1977 collaboration?

Westra: With my past SSAW projects, I would communicate with others through emails and phone calls, so after this project, I realized the importance of spending time and sharing space with everyone. I stayed at the house; it was just like living in a world of my works because I spent time being surrounded by them.

—What does a safe place for women, which is the brand’s concept, mean to you, Sahara-san?

Sahara: A safe place is somewhere you can escape from reality. I’m sure everyone has a way to be free from the real world and worries and concerns or, in other words, have emotional support, such as immersing themselves in music, reading a book, and traveling. My safe place is immersing myself in the world of fashion. I want to create an emotional haven through fashion for others.

— Your photos also had the peaceful vibe that I would associate with the word “safe place.”

Westra: I sometimes see a sense of consumption or desire to dominate the woman subject in photos taken by male photographers. On the contrary, when it comes to shoots where both parties are women, there’s deep empathy and recognition between one another. Whenever I shoot, I always try to create an environment where women can be protected from the various disturbances out in the world. For instance, the women wear clothes they wear daily and feel comfortable in. I constantly talk to them during the shoot to check in with them. Photoshoots are always done with the consent between the subject and me, so I never force them to take their clothes off. In the past, I’ve had instances where the subjects themselves proposed taking their clothes off. Maybe women can be bolder in environments they feel safe in. We need more spaces in society where women can express their bodies and sensibilities in a freeing way.

Aimi Sahara 
Aimi Sahara is the designer of Tu es mon Tresor. She founded the brand in 2010. Based on the desire to create a safe place for women and design jeans for women’s bodies and sensibilities, she relaunched the brand as a creative denim brand in 2020.
https://tu-es-mon-tresor.com/

Jenna Westra 
Jenna Westra is a photographer and filmmaker based in New York. Aside from showcasing her work in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Madrid, Pescara, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Berlin, Tokyo, and Atami, she has published two photo books, Atlas (2018) and Afternoons (2020). She is represented by Lubov (New York) and Schwarz Contemporary (Berlin).
https://www.jennawestra.com/

All images courtesy of Lubov, New York and Schwarz Contemporary, Berlin 

Text Nana Takeuchi

The post Tu es mon Tresor Designer Aimi Sahara and Photographer Jenna Westra: Sharing the Sensibility of Women’s Artistic Expression appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.