“The Resilience of the Crow” by French photographer Lorraine Turci documents the unique culture and identity of Hokkaido’s indigenous Ainu people and their struggle for cultural preservation amidst a history of assimilation.
Born in Mont-Saint-Martin, Lorraine Turci moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts, where she fell in love with photography’s ‘direct connection to reality’.
After working in commercial photography and photo retouching, she found her passion for ‘real storytelling’ and pursued documentary photography.
Turci’s work now centers on humanity, exploring themes of identity, collective memory, resilience, and the intersection of social issues, human rights, and environmental protection.
These themes are deeply personal, stemming from her own experiences with loss, displacement, and mental health. For her, photography is not just about creating beautiful images but about fostering understanding and tolerance through storytelling, believing in its power to contribute to a more compassionate world.
Turci first learned about the Ainu people during a trip to Japan for another project. Profoundly moved by their story, she thought about it long after returning home to France and so, decided to return and help share their story.
LT: What drove me to focus on their story was the tension between the systematic erasure of their culture and their determined efforts to preserve and revitalize their identity, which deeply resonated with the core themes of my work. I was deeply moved by their fight for recognition and by the parallels with other indigenous struggles around the world.
Hokkaido is a vast land of wintry forests, volcanoes, lakes, and rugged coastlines. Before Japanese colonization, it was home to the Ainu people. After a century and a half of assimilation and discrimination, the situation has slowly evolved.
LT: My creative process is based on full immersion, both in the preparatory stages and on the ground. I begin with in-depth research to understand the historical, cultural, and social context of the subject. Before traveling, I immerse myself in a wide range of resources: literature, sociological and ethnographic studies, music, painting, sculpture, and even digital content created by influencers or online groups.
LT: Once in the field, I prioritize long-term immersion, often spending months engaging with the landscape, adapting to cultural codes and local realities, and fostering meaningful connections through moments of exchange and shared experiences. I also make it a point to show my previous work to explain my approach and clarify my intentions.
I firmly believe that photography is not a unilateral act. People often talk about taking a photograph of someone, but I prefer to say making a photograph with someone. This posture of humility as an author helps build sincere and respectful relationships.
LT: For The Resilience of the Crow, my requests for meetings were initially met with refusals, as the topic of the Ainu remains sensitive in Japan. Only by showing my previous projects, explaining my approach, and cultivating patience did people gradually open up. These moments of exchange, though sometimes slow to develop, are essential.
For example, during our first meeting, Shiro Kayano, a prominent figure in the Ainu community, mentioned a recent political event: a politician had publicly insulted the Ainu.
LT: When I responded I noticed a change in his expression. I demonstrated that my interest in the Ainu went far beyond mere curiosity about tourism or heritage. It conveyed a genuine commitment to understanding their history—both past and present—as well as a deep sensitivity to the social, justice, reconciliation, and identity issues that their community faces. Then, he invited me to participate in an interview on the Ainu radio program he hosts to introduce my work and approach to the community
LT: For me, photography is such a powerful vector for tolerance through discovery and understanding of others that it serves as the most beautiful window into the world. I firmly believe it has the potential to contribute to making it a better place. This conviction is my mental lifeline.
“The Resilience of the Crow reflects on what it means to be Ainu today — navigating demands and compromises in everyday life. This is the story of the reappropriation of a collective and plural identity by those who embody it in today’s world: between assertion, preservation and adaptation. Ainu identity is as powerful as the complexity of its resilience. And after all, aren’t we all searching for our own identity?”
LT: I hope this project will allow audiences to discover the little-known story of the Ainu and reflect on universal issues of discrimination, cultural preservation, and coexistence. My ambition is to awaken genuine empathy by showcasing the beauty and strength of a community fighting for its cultural survival.
I also wish for this work to inspire reflection on our collective responsibility toward Indigenous peoples and, more broadly, on cultural diversity as a shared treasure worth preserving.
All images © Lorraine Turci