The film, created by Mihara Yasuhiro and photographed by Paolo Roversi, will be presented at the Tate Britain as part of an evening that references and celebrates the continuing influence and popularity of pre-Raphaelites on contemporary art, fashion and music. Ahead of the gallery’s ‘Late at Tate’ event, we talk to Mihara about his muse.
The ethereal imagery of Ophelia’s death depicted by the Pre-Raphaelite, John Everett Millais’s masterpiece is the inspiration for Miharayasuhiro’s sensory seducing installation, Ophelia Has A Dream. Having first been shown as part of Miharayasuhiro’s spring/summer 12 show, Miyara’s film now sits proudly in London’s Tate Britain next to Millais’ masterpiece. The film invites visitors to interact with the work to become part of the experience.
Ophelia, Shakespeare’s romantic pin up for lost innocence, has for over four hundred years remained a figure of fascination for artists, writers and poets alike, but why has our tragic heroine’s watery demise been reanacted many a time; from Kylie Minogue in Nick Cave’s video for Where the Wild Roses Grow and Kirsten Dunst in Lars von Trier’s Melancholia. Now in Mihara’s film, as the mist rises in the opening scenes the iconic incarnation of Ophelia emerges, but with a scattering of butterflies there is a feeling of optimism rather than tragedy. We ask Mihara why she became his muse.
What first drew you to the character of Ophelia? Her innocence and beauty.
How did she inspire you? Ophelia is pure and beautiful. Her character is enchanting.
How did the collaboration with Paolo Roversi arise? How was the working process? I have always admired Paolo’s work. He produces some of the most beautiful images. I felt he was the only person who could capture Ophelia in this moment
Describe the film in your own words. Poetic, inspiring, hopeful
Within the Tate’s ‘The Pre-Raphaelites: Victorian Avant-Garde’, the film now sits alongside John Everett Millais’ renowned painting from which you drew inspiration. How does that make you feel? Very proud. It is an honour to share my work at Tate Britain.
Ultimately, what would you like a viewer to take away from the experience? Hope for a better future. I want people to feel happy.
Text: Delilah Khomo
