Julien Rousseau, Stéphane Du Mesnildot Ultime combat, arts martiaux d'asie

“Ancient fighting techniques were elevated to the rank of martial arts before becoming sports in the 20th century and have proved to be an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Asian iconography and cinematography. Beyond their diversity, martial arts are at the crossroads of religion, conceptions of the body and history, so much so that they constitute an essential angle of approach to understand civilizations from India to China, Japan and Southeast Asia.
The martial arts are considered in their external and internal dimensions, i.e. in a continuity between body and spirit. Addressing their mythical and religious context opens up the essential themes of Asian arts: combat, of course, but also the representation of wisdom triumphing over ignorance, meditation and the power of nature.
The exhibition catalogue gives an account of the richness of the representations of the martial arts, by mixing ancient and contemporary works, and cinema. A map helps locate the main Asian martial arts and timelines offer their historical milestones.
These tools are extended by numerous complementary essays that intelligently approach the theme through history, mythology or popular arts.”