Yannick Luthy's Kudamono Exhibition at Espace Abstract Captures Japan's Whimsical Fruit Bus Stops

Swiss photographer Yannick Luthy presented his series Kudamono at Espace Abstract in Lausanne from September 13 to October 12, 2019. The work documents playful concrete bus shelters shaped like fruits along a coastal route near Konagai in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Originally created for the 1990 International Garden and Greenery Exposition in Osaka, these vibrant structures were relocated to a remote area. Social media transformed them into popular selfie backdrops, highlighting an unexpected public reappropriation. Luthy's photographic approach involves slight overexposure and desaturation to evoke a timeless, artificial aesthetic reminiscent of world expos or amusement parks. The exhibition's two-level scenography juxtaposed large-format panoramic prints with smaller reproductions of local biscuits modeled after the fruit shelters. This project aligns with a Swiss documentary tradition seen in works by Mathieu Asselin, Matthieu Gafsou, Yann Gross, Christian Lutz, Yann Mingard, and Nicolas Savary, often showcased at venues like Rencontres d'Arles, Images Vevey festival, or Musée de l'Élysée. References to Robert Venturi's texts and semiotician Philippe Boudon's research on Le Corbusier's Pessac city provide context for understanding the social and affective dimensions of urban objects. Local shops now sell biscuits shaped like the shelters, enhancing their charming appeal in a culture where sweetness is a recent culinary addition.