The Horse in the Gourd

“A horse appearing from a gourd.”

This Japanese saying is used when something completely unexpected, even unbelievable, happens. It refers to a legendary immortal being who owns a horse that can be conjured as if by magic from a gourd—a reminder that, in life, the unexpected can happen. Nature is fickle and unpredictable. For Charlotte Dumas, this is an important principle. The book centres on the basic elements of life, its vulnerability and resilience, as Dumas brings myth, imagination, and the transient nature of life together. Her own images, made over the past four years in Japan, are shown with historic photographs, objects, and prints from a variety of collections.