After the Devil wants Faust to sign the pact with blood, Faust complains that the devil does not trust Faust’s word of honor. In the end, Mephisto wins the argument, and Faust signs the contract with a drop of his own blood. —Goethe’s Faust
In folklore, an individual may make a pact with the devil, usually signed with their own blood. The pact involves loss of a part of the individual, the soul. But in Misako Oba’s case, it was the possibility of losing something else, and Goethe’s Faust became a metaphor for her experience in the 21st century.
Oba’s photography explores the battle between an angel and a devil in her heart, as she deals with the emotional turmoil of a medical mystery. The photographs recount her reactions from despair, confusion and fear, accompanied by blood and tears, to defiance, a positive spirit and redefined beauty.
This series is a visual statement of a true physical, emotional and spiritual journey that anyone might be called upon to make.
This is about my FAUSTUS series (photographic series 2006-2011, 2014. Photo-based mixed media contains).
*The photography book/artbook [FAUSTUS] was published in November 2014 in Japan.
The title FAUSTUS was inspired by Goethe’s Faust. Faust, the main character, exchanges his soul with the devil by signing a pact with a drop of his blood. The cost of my pact was my finger. There were the battles of an angel and devil in my heart, but finally leading to a contract with the angel.
* Faustus means “auspicious” or “blessed” in Latin.

Misako OBA, “Pactum#20-III,” from the series FAUSTUS.
ドイツの文豪ヨハーン・ヴォルフガング・ゲーテの戯曲 『ファウスト』には、悪魔がファウストに、契約書に血で署名をするよう求めると、ファウストは、自分の言葉を悪魔が信用していないことに不満をもらす。しかし、結局悪魔メフィストが議論に勝ち、ファウストは自分の血の滴で契約書に署名をする。というようなくだりがある。
古代の伝承によると、悪魔との契約は、通常、体の一部と引き換えに、契約者本人の血でサインをして結ぶという。『ファウスト』の主人公は、至極の快楽を求めて自分の魂と引き換えに悪魔と血の契約を結んだ。しかし、私大庭みさこの場合、何を求めたわけでもないのに、右手の小指と引き換えに血の契約を結んだのである。心の中では、天使と悪魔とが闘いつつ、最終的に契約を交わしたのは「天使」とだった。
それが、「FAUSTUS(ファウストス)」という一連の作品シリーズとなった。私自身が2006年から数年に渡って制作し、これまで米国で発表してきたこの写真作品シリーズは、実体験ととともに、コンセプトにゲーテの『ファウスト』を絡めている。
When I heard about the movie FAUST (2011 Russian film directed by Alexander Sokurov. The dialogue is in German), I became curious to see it. It is the director’s free interpretation of German legend Faust and the adaptation of Goethe’s Faust. As long as I know, there is no theater playing it in the U.S as of today. I had a chance to see it in Tokyo at Cine Switch Theater. (-showing from June 2, 2012). Other theater in Japan will start showing from today (June 30, 2012) and/or coming soon.
This is my movie review (in Japanese.)
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