Kwaidan, by Patrick Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), was first published in 1904. This exhibition features the works of 40 artists based in Ireland and Japan who have been inspired by these strange and ghostly tales. Their interpretations are presented through a diverse collection of contemporary fine art printmaking and photography.

The exhibition is organised by Irish artists Stephen Lawlor, Kate MacDonagh and Ed Miliano, who formed the working group Blue Moon Projects in 2019 and began to develop an exhibition inspired by the writings of Hearn.

Growing up in Ireland Lafcadio Hearn absorbed the tradition of storytelling, honed his skills as a young writer in the United States, and wrote his most renowned works in Japan. Of his writings Kwaidan is widely considered to be Hearn’s masterpiece and the culmination of his literary output.

Each individual artwork in this exhibition expresses the beauty, fear and inevitability of death and interpret these eerie and macabre stories through a variety of highly skilled print media.

In addition to honouring Hearn’s literature, these artworks deepen the cultural bonds created by Hearn, between Japan and Ireland through this exciting cultural exchange.

This exhibition has already been shown at the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum in Matsue and Yaizu and will travel to the Nagakute Cultural Centre; The Lafcadio Hearn Library, Toyama University; the new Embassy of Ireland in Tokyo; and at EXPO 2025 Osaka. Five venues are planned in Ireland and the exhibition will also be brought to the UK and USA.

The Artists and the Artworks

Featured among the 40 artists are works by Alice Maher, Katsutoshi Yuasa, Richard Gorman, Miyamoto Shoji, O JUN and Barbara Rae.

There are several images of ‘Mujina’, with her featureless face awaiting the unwary passers-by on a lonely slope by the Akasaka Road. Alice Maher’s portrayal of ‘Rokuro-Kubi’ confronts both the terror and humour of the five floating Goblin heads, their intertwined hair representing the forest in which they dwell, creating “a great knot of evil intent’’. As described in ‘Jiu-roku-zakura’, Katsutoshi Yuasa is relieved to know that “such an equilibrium existed in the world” as death and the beauty of the cherry blossom in full bloom.

Miyamoto Shoji was deeply affected by the loneliness of Hōïchi as described in ‘The Story of Mimi-nashi-Hōïchi’.

Some of these tales are ancient, some just local folklore but Hearn has woven them into a language that can joyously be translated into visual form.

The objective of the Kwaidan exhibition is to draw more serious attention to Lafcadio Hearn in Ireland and to elevate his work more fully into the pantheon of great Irish literature where his work belongs. Through a touring schedule in Japan and Ireland, the exhibition will also bring the two countries into closer cultural contact and will build on the aspirations set out in “Taking Forward Partnership with Shared Ambition”, the Joint Statement between the Governments of Ireland and Japan that was issued in June 2022.

This exhibition, Hearn and Kyoto University of the Arts

Hearn writes of “enchantment” about his several visits to Kyoto and in chapter III of his book Gleanings from Buddha Fields he marvels as he explores its streets, shops and temples in the year 1895 on the 1,100th year anniversary celebration of the city’s founding. Hearn also set many of his stories in Kyoto, including: – ‘Kimiko’, ‘The Screen Maiden’ and ‘Story of a Fly’.

We are delighted to bring this exhibition to the highly prestigious Kyoto University of the Arts, situated in this city of huge cultural significance. The university’s mission is to instil a strong sense of spirit into young art students that will enable them to overcome challenges as they go forward in life, and to encourage the revival of the arts that will nurture the future generation to launch a new renaissance.

To this end, Professor Toru Kamiya from KUA came up with the idea for students and faculty members to also respond to the stories of Kwaidan and mount an exhibition alongside ours, encouraging conversations and new visual interpretations and deepening the cultural exchange that Hearn incorporated throughout his work. Their exhibition is titled KWAIDAN / KUA.

Sound Installation ‘Yōkai’ by Neil O Connor (Composer and Performer).

This event is supported by the Embassy of Ireland in Japan and Culture Ireland.

Galerie Aube Opening Hours : 12:00 – 18:00