Swiss filmmaker Fabrice Aragno, known as the right-hand man to Jean-Luc Godard in the latter years of his career, reconfigured Godard’s final directorial work, The Image Book (2018). Aragno, deeply respectful of his mentor, has created an installation that allows audiences to see the world through Godard’s eyes.

The Image Book
The Image Book received the “Special Palme d’Or” at the Cannes Film Festival, an award that transcends the Palme d’Or, marking the first of its kind in the festival’s history. The film is divided into five chapters, and it reflects on the history, war, religion, and art of over a century, using a collage of various film quotations.

Exhibition: Sentiments, Signes, Passions, à propos du Livre d’image, J.L. Godard
In this exhibition, each chapter of the film is further fragmented, and the order of the quoted images is constantly changing. By projecting and displaying these images on numerous screens set throughout the exhibition space, the exhibition breaks free from the chronological constraints of a traditional film screening, allowing visitors to experience Godard’s world visually and spatially. The exhibition invites not only long-time film fans but also younger generations, who may not be familiar with Godard, to step into his thoughts through the fragments of images and sound. Visitors will become observers, seeing the world through Godard’s eyes.

This exhibition, which has already been held in Germany, Switzerland, and other countries, is now making its highly anticipated debut in Japan. The venue for the Japanese edition is the iconic Ojo Building in Kabukicho, Shinjuku, which has been a witness to the history of the area for over 60 years. This exhibition, which pushes the limits of Godard’s artistic vision, is not to be missed!

Swiss filmmaker Fabrice Aragno, who worked on the cinematography, sound, and editing for the 2010 film Film Socialisme and was Jean-Luc Godard’s right-hand man in his later years, is the artist/curator for this exhibition. Aragno, who was also a producer for The Image Book, describes the concept of the exhibition as expanding the editing room of The Image Book and extending it into the world within the film. Visitors will be able to choose their own process in the film, with the audience themselves becoming the cursor of time, allowing them to explore a filmic space like a forest.

Fabrice Aragno
Born in 1970 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Fabrice Aragno has a degree in directing from the École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL). He collaborated with Jean-Luc Godard as cinematographer on a number of films, including FILM SOCIALISME (2010) and LES TROIS DÉSASTRES (2012). He directed several short films, among them his graduation film, DIMANCHE (1998), selected for the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, INSIDE (2003), and AUTOUR DE CLAIRE (2010).

A crowdfunding campaign is currently underway to gather support for the exhibition. There are exclusive rewards available, including a replica book of Godard’s script notes, limited to 1,500 copies worldwide, and original prints of portraits of Godard taken by Fabrice Aragno. These rewards are designed to enhance the exhibition experience.

For more details, please visit the crowdfunding support page: here

Sentiments Signes Passions, à propos du Livre d’image, J.L. Godard
Dates: July 4 (Friday) – August 31 (Sunday), 2025
Venue: Ojo Building (1-13-2 Kabukicho, Shinjuku Ward)
Organized by: Exhibition Executive Committee
Ticket Price: ¥2,200 (tax included)
Planned by: Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. and Paradise Shoji Co., Ltd.
Supported by: Embassy of Switzerland in Japan, Embassy of France in Japan / Institut français du Japon, Shinjuku-city
Artist / Curator: Fabrice Aragno
Assistant & Co-Curator: Nanako Tsukidate
Key Visual Design: Masakazu Kitayama
GREEN FUNDING: https://greenfunding.jp/global/projects/8678
General Tickets: Available for purchase starting June via ART PASS
Official Website: https://godardtokyo.com/
Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/godardtokyo