
Nathlie Provosty
In Japanese folklore, the ungaikyō is a demonic mirror that bewitches with its reflections. But there is disagreement about what it actually does. Some say it shows phantasmagoric and shifting illusions to frighten and charm; others say the mirror is sacred and that it reveals disguised shape-shifters by exposing their true forms. Does the living mirror lie in order to dazzle, or does it reveal deeper invisible truths? That is also the question of art.
Nathlie Provosty’s show “What A Fool Ever To Be Tricked Into Seriousness” reminded me of this Japanese legend. On one level, that was because the