This book is the catalog of the special exhibition Faces and Flora: Philippines and Japan Native Plant Photography, jointly organized by The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, and the National Museum of the Philippines. Held at the JP Tower Museum INTERMEDIATHEQUE in 2025, the exhibition presented a new mode of display that combined scientific specimens with photographic art, serving as an international collaborative project bridging art and science.
 
At the core of the plates is the Faces and Flora series by Manila-based photographer Jan Zoilo Rafael Mayo. His portrait photographs, featuring models adorned with native plants from the Philippines and Japan, recall traditional art-historical representations of flora. However, juxtaposed with close-up still-life photographs of plants, they create a strikingly new form of beauty-editorial expression. The photographs of Japanese plants are newly commissioned works taken at the Botanical Gardens, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo (Koishikawa Botanical Garden), in April 2025. In addition, specimens from the Herbarium of the University of Tokyo (TI) and the Philippine National Herbarium (PNH) were presented alongside the same species photographed by Mayo, generating a visual experience in which artistic works and scientific records illuminate each other.
 
The originality of this volume can be summarized as follows. First, by presenting plant art photography and herbarium specimens as paired elements, it demonstrates how artistic expressions and scientific materials can resonate with and enrich each other. Second, by taking native plants of both Japan and the Philippines as subjects, it introduces new forms of artistic expression while simultaneously offering opportunities to scientifically reinterpret specimens, thus prompting reflection on the importance of native plants.
 
The work begins with artist’s notes by Mayo and two introductions by the exhibition curators, followed by plates of plant photographs and specimens taken in both the Philippines and Japan. The photographs are accompanied by botanical explanations, whereas the specimens include descriptions of their historical context, such as collectors and collection histories, to ensure a firm academic foundation. By presenting artistic photography, specimens, and academic commentary as an integrated whole, the book achieves a complex scholarly outcome that transforms it into more than a mere photo book or specimen catalog.
 
Therefore, it serves as a valuable guide to understanding how academic materials such as plant specimens can resonate with art, and how art can deepen scientific inquiry. By documenting the forefront of ArtScience study and practice, it also has value as a significant record. Furthermore, the collaboration between museums in Japan and the Philippines to make their collections publicly accessible is socially significant, as it broadens our understanding of flora and raises awareness of biodiversity conservation. Finally, the inclusion of diverse models photographed with plants sheds light on contemporary issues of gender and identity.
 

(Written by TERADA Ayumi, Project Associate Professor, The University Museum / 2025)

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Related Info

Special Exhibitions:
NEW! “Faces and Flora – Japan’s Native Tree Photography at Koishikawa Botanical Garden”  (Koishikawa Botanical Garden, in front of the Glasshouse  May 19 – August 16, 2026)
https://www.intermediatheque.jp/en/schedule/view/id/IMT0301
 
“Faces and Flora - Philippines and Japan Native Plant Photography”  (INTERMEDIATHEQUE  July 12 – Nov 9, 2025)
https://www.intermediatheque.jp/en/schedule/view/id/IMT0288
 
Events:
NEW!
AnnEX Lab. SOTOLABO #16 Photography Talk
Faces and Flora　(Koishikawa Botanical Garden  May 22, 2026)
https://www.um.u-tokyo.ac.jp/sotolabo/index_en.html
 
Lectures and Talk Session “Interpreting the Concept of Faces and Flora”  (INTERMEDIATHEQUE  July 12, 2025)
https://www.intermediatheque.jp/en/schedule/view/id/IMT0289
 
Related Articles:
PH Ambassador Highlights Strong Philippines-Japan Ties in Student Group’s Visit at Faces and Flora Exhibit Culmination Week　(Embassy of the Republic of the Philippins  Nov 11, 2025)
https://tokyo.philembassy.net/ph-ambassador-highlights-strong-philippines-japan-ties-in-student-groups-visit-at-faces-and-flora-exhibit-culmination-week/
 
Philippine Embassy Celebrates Philippines-Japan Friendship Month with Photography Exhibition Merging Art and Science　(Embassy of the Republic of the Philippins  July 22, 2025)
https://tokyo.philembassy.net/philippine-embassy-celebrates-philippines-japan-friendship-month-with-photography-exhibition-merging-art-and-science/

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