Charles Fréger

CHARLES FRÉGER (Bourges, France, 1975).
"19." Rikishi Series.
C-print mounted on an aluminum plate. Copy 3/5.
Features an information label on the back.
Signed, titled, dated, and inscribed.
Published in "Charles Fréger. Rikishi," POC, 2004.
Measurements: 59 x 44 cm; 81 x 67 cm (frame).

The face of a young sumo wrestler completely fills the center of the image, establishing a direct and immediate connection with the viewer. His gaze, serene and distant, is a hallmark of contrast with the presence of other bodies silhouetted in the background, barely hinted at, transforming the individual portrait into an image of belonging and formation within a community.Fréger eliminates any reference to the match and focuses attention on the subject’s features, physicality, and gaze. The close framing and the restraint of the composition lend the subject a monumental presence, while the bodies surrounding him function almost as a human frame that contextualizes his identity as a rikishi.
Produced in Japan between 2002 and 2003, *Rikishi* is one of Charles Fréger’s earliest series and an early example of his interest in photographing groups defined by codes of discipline, attire, and ritual. Rather than seeking an exotic representation of sumo, the artist creates quiet, frontal portraits in which the subject’s individuality coexists with his collective identity.
Charles Fréger trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Rouen. His work has been exhibited internationally at institutions such as the Musée d’histoire de Nantes, the Musée des Confluences in Lyon, the Musée de Grenoble, the Musée de Bretagne, the Fotomuseum Antwerpen, the Kunsthalle Erfurt, and at the Rencontres d’Arles, among others. His work is part of public collections such as those of the Musée de Bretagne – Les Champs Libres, and is also included in the collections and projects of institutions such as the Musée des Confluences and the Musée Alsacien in Strasbourg. In 2025, Fréger also created the only permanent work commissioned specifically for the Musée de la Mode et du Costume de Fragonard in Arles.