People

  • Individuals

Nourit Masson-Sekine ヌリート・マソン・セキネ

Franco-Israeli transdisciplinary artist. In the 1980s, invited by Wacoal Art Space to hold an exhibition, she moved to Japan, where she discovered Butoh. She formed close friendships with Natsu Nakajima, Mitsutaka Ishii, and Kazuo Ohno. She regularly attended training sessions at Kazuo Ohno’s studio while documenting the work. She designed costumes and sets for Butoh dancers, particularly for Natsu Nakajima, took photographs, published books on Butoh, and contributed to film productions. After settling in Strasbourg, France, in 1990, she continued collaborating with Butoh, notably creating costumes for Carlotta Ikeda, and her performance photos were exhibited worldwide. Having also studied Chinese medicine and Qigong, she founded the Tchié Academy (AASCA) in Strasbourg, training numerous healthcare professionals in the theory and practice of shiatsu and qigong.
In the 1980s, all her solo exhibitions in Japan were honored with happenings by Kazuo Ohno during the openings. She also created, at Kazuo Ohno’s request, "The Blue Horse of the Desert," a headpiece worn by Yoshito Ohno in his performances.

Basic Information

ID
PER27
Born
1956 Israel
Profession(s)
Artist

Short Biography

1956　Born in a kibbutz in the Negev Desert, raised in France from 1960.

1973–1980　Lived in Israel. Graduated from an art school, Avni Fine Arts School in Tel Aviv, where she established the photography department.

1980–1990　Resided in Japan, where her daughter Anais Lei was born in 1984.

1982　Created costumes and scenography for 'Niwa' by Natsu Nakajima.

1983　Organized, with her husband Yori Sekine and friend Prof. Jacob Raz, Kazuo Ohno’s tour in Israel, inspiring his new creation 'The Dead Sea'.

1983　Solo exhibition "LE ZERO ACTIF" initiated by Yoshida Yoshie at Galerie Chikyūdō, Ginza.

1984　"Photo Butoh" exhibition with Mitsutoshi Hanaga at the Cinematheque during the Jerusalem Festival and at Galerie Blanche opposite Habima Theatre in Tel Aviv.

1986　Created the blue horse head for Kazuo Ohno’s 'The Dead Sea'.

1987　Costumes for 'Sleep and Reincarnation – From an Empty Land', Mutekisha Company, directed by Natsu Nakajima.

1985–1988　Editorial direction for the historical Butoh album in tribute to Kazuo Ohno, published by Shufu no Tomo LTD. Co-author with Jean Viala of "Butoh: Shades of Darkness", which became a bestseller.

1989　New paper costumes for 'Sleep and Reincarnation' in New York.

1990　Moved to Strasbourg. Costumes for 'A White Day' by Carlotta Ikeda & Hervé Diasnas.

1991　Co-screenwriter, artistic and production director for the documentary "Piercing the Mask" (A.K.A. Productions), awarded the Red Ribbon in the US and the Press Prize in France.

1993　 "Butoh Expo" photo exhibition during Carlotta Ikeda’s performance at Théâtre du Maillon, Strasbourg.

1995　Two scenographies: an exhibition of her Butoh photos in São Paulo and Brasília, and an exhibition at the Goethe Institute in Curitiba, Brazil.

1997　"Butoh Expo" at the Tel Aviv Opera during Sankai Juku’s performance.

1998　Production, scenography, and costumes for Mitsutaka Ishii’s performance in Strasbourg.

2004–2006　Resident lecturer at Temple University Japan (Tokyo).

2006　Lecture on Butoh. Scenography for various spaces. Conference and screening of 15 Butoh films at the Japan Foundation in São Paulo. Lecture translated into Portuguese for the foundation’s archives: "Butoh: A Philosophy of Perception, Beyond Dance".

2011–2012　"Dance of the Soul" photo/video exhibition on Butoh at the Wilfrid Museum of Asian Arts and Studies. Butoh exhibition at Haifa University, Israel, alongside lectures and performances.

2012　Co-directed the first Butoh festival in Strasbourg, featuring photo exhibitions, performances, and workshops by numerous Butoh dancers (including Natsu Nakajima). She continued introducing Butoh dancers to summer workshops in Strasbourg and at the "Nuage Fou" Butoh Theatre in Freiburg, Germany, exposing students to this lesser-known art form.

2012–2018　Lecturer at the University of Strasbourg (Performing Arts Department) on "Contextualizing the Birth of Butoh in the 20th Century."

Butoh photo exhibition at Weltkunstzimmer Contemporary Alternative Arts Space, featuring six artists selected for the Düsseldorf Photography Festival: Eikoh Hosoe, Mitsutoshi Hanaga, Kamiyama, Nourit Masson-Sékine, Helmut Steinhauser, Naoya Ikegami, Teijiro Kamiyama. Roundtable: "Photographing Butoh."

2017　"BUTOH-Shades of Darkness" exhibited at the 3rd Aomori Butoh Festival + lecture.

2018　"Butoh: An Initiatory Path" photo exhibition at the Théâtre National de Strasbourg for the 2nd Strasbourg Art Photography Month.

2018–2025　Created the "Prophète en son Pays" series, publishing 20 books to date, including three on Butoh: "Tirer la langue sous la pluie," "L’informe," and on suffering and pain in Butoh practice: "De Fange en Merveilles".

2025　Release of the documentary "Guérir la vie" (dir. Sissy Lin), tracing her artistic journey.

Back