Under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, a 
worldwide premiere of Alphonse Mucha's artwork in digital form is coming to 
Japan. From 14 July to 30 September this year, the Czech Republic will present 
iMUCHA, a stunning immersive exhibition which brings a modern take on the Czech 
and international Art Nouveau master, Alphonse Mucha. The event will be held 
this summer in one of Japan's most popular international conference centres, 
the Yokohama Pacifico. 

"I consider iMUCHA Multimedia Experiences to be a project of very high quality, 
which gives a contemporary dimension to the masterpiece of Czech Art Nouveau 
and, thanks to the processing by means of cutting-edge technologies, brings the 
work and life of Alphonse Mucha closer to the current generation. I am 
therefore very happy to support this event," says the Minister of Culture, Mr. 
Martin Baxa, adding that he also sees the project as a good opportunity to 
strengthen bilateral relations between the Czech Republic and Japan. 
Furthermore, the project is perceived as one of the priority cultural 
undertakings in the interest of deepening Czech-Japanese relations by a variety 
of public figures along with the Czech President, Mr Miloš Zeman.

Patronage of the President of the Czech Republic
As the Czech state has a strong interest in the exhibition, the President of 
the Czech Republic, Mr Miloš Zeman, also supported the exhibition with his 
patronage:"I am very pleased with the relations between the Czech Republic and 
Japan, which have long been at a friendly level. I believe that they have 
contributed greatly to the fact that Japan has long been one of the Czech 
Republic's important partners. I am convinced that the launch of iMUCHA 
Multimedia Experiences will become one of the next points that will connect the 
two countries in an appropriate way," said the President Miloš Zeman. 

Japan as iMUCHA world's premiere country
For the first time in the world, the work of Alphonse Mucha is presented in the 
form of top-quality large-screen projections. Visitors are surrounded by a 360° 
effect, as if they were in the story itself. Alphonse Mucha's work is placed in 
a 3D space and viewers find themselves in contemporary Paris, New York or a 
dreamy Art Nouveau garden. The posters of Alphonse Mucha from the most 
comprehensive collection of his original works, owned by the Richard Fuxa 
Foundation, which provides donations to the Czech art scene, were used for the 
digitisation. The partner of the Czech project in Japan is Sony Music Solutions.

The life and work of Alphonse Mucha is transformed into an immersive and 
stunning show, during which viewers are given a tour through the most important 
periods and major milestones of Mucha's work - from the fateful meeting with 
Sarah Bernhardt, through his times in Paris and America, to his work in 
Bohemia, be it at St. Vitus Cathedral or his monumental Slav Epic. Visitors 
also find themselves in the master's study, while the magnificent projection 
also includes an educational section with information about the great Czech Art 
Nouveau artist.

Historical connection of Czech and Japanese art
The work of Alphonse Mucha is not only well known and popular in Japan, but it 
is also closely connected to it. The ornamental patterns of stylised flowers, 
plants, and wavy strands of hair, which appeared on Mucha's posters, were 
inspired by Japanese katagami paper stencils, which became part of French art.

These natural stylised fragments are considered clear signs of Japanese culture 
in Mucha's work. Mucha thus significantly influenced the Western Art Nouveau 
style, which subsequently found its way back to Japan and there continues to 
this day. The most prominent examples of this are the symbols of modern 
Japanese culture, manga. Japanese comics artists have been inspired by Mucha's 
work since the 1970s. 

Probably the Japanese women's creative group CLAMP was the most inspired one by 
Mucha. RG Veda, X and Rayearth use art nouveau frames and compositions in 
Mucha's style in most of their illustrations. Kosuke Fujishima was also 
inspired by Mucha for his illustrations Ah My Goddess!, where his heroines wear 
dresses with many folds and their long curly hairstyles rival those of Mucha's 
female characters.

The timing of the start of the exhibition in Yokohama is not accidental. It is 
on 14 July this year that the 83rd anniversary of the death of Alphonse Mucha 
will be observed. The Czech Republic sees the beginning of the exhibition as a 
tribute to the Art Nouveau master.

Source: iMUCHA