Aïnous - Une voix du Japon

At the musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, the exhibition Ainu, a Voice from Japan brings the museum’s Ainu collections into dialogue with contemporary creations. Wood carvings, embroidered textiles and graphic works showcase an Indigenous culture of Northeast Asia whose historical territory stretches from northern Japan to Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

The exhibition explores the connections between several generations of artists and craftspeople. Clothing motifs and the bear’s place in Ainu spiritual life offer insights into how traditions are passed down, including through songs and stories. This continuity is set against the history of forced assimilation from the 19th century onwards and the present-day assertion of an Indigenous identity.

Developed with the expertise of the National Ainu Museum, the exhibition brings together works held in Paris and loans from that institution and Japan’s National Museum of Ethnology. It is curated by Adrien Bossard and Jules Ogier.

Practical information
- Galerie Germain Viatte.
- Tuesday to Sunday, 10:30 am to 7 pm; until 10 pm on Thursdays.
- Open on Mondays during short school holidays in all French school holiday zones.
- Closed on 1 May and 25 December.
- Closes at 6 pm on 24 and 31 December.
- Free admission on the first Sunday of the month.