Sylwia Markis (1973) - Samurai

Sylwia Markis (1973), Samurai, 2018.

Digital print on photo paper, x cm. Bottom right with an emboss stamp.

Provenance: Private collection/publisher, Berlin.

Condition: Very good. The illustrations are part of the condition description.

Sylwia Makris and the Samurai Museum Berlin
With her series “The Seven Virtues,” Sylwia Makris, in collaboration with the Samurai Museum Berlin and the Peter Janssen Collection, developed an extraordinary photographic project that engages with the seven virtues of bushidō — the ethical code of the Samurai.

Rather than merely documenting historical scenes, Makris translates the values of bushidō such as courage, honor, loyalty, and compassion into contemporary visual worlds. Her meticulously staged photographs blend historical samurai armors and original artifacts with modern models and a painterly aesthetic. In this way, works emerge that place the past and the present in dialogue with one another.

For the realization, the artist worked closely with the Samurai Museum Berlin and gained access to authentic armors and objects from the renowned Peter Janssen Collection. Through her elaborate post-production and the combination of photographic, painterly, and sculptural techniques, she lends the works extraordinary depth and materiality.

The series was presented at the Samurai Museum Berlin and counts among the artist’s most significant projects. Furthermore, an image from the series formed the basis for a large-format wall piece on Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm, created in collaboration with artist Anna Taut and the Samurai Museum, which transferred Makris’s visual language into the public space.