PHOTO:Nobuyoshi Araki

Nobuyoshi Araki is part of a generation of artists who emerged in the 1960s as Japan was recovering from the Second World War and influenced by theextreme growth, urbanisation and overt commercialism. His work revolves around female eroticism and his fascination with his birthplace of Tokyo, Japan. With his notoriously provocative images, Araki has been involved in both scandals of attempted censorship and the subject of much controversial attention from critics and the press. Other important themes that motivate Araki’s work include the endless cycle of life and death, and the exploration of this precarious relationship.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Taka Ishii Gallery Archive

Araki studied photography at Chiba University, before moving on to work at advertising agency Dentsu, here he met and married Yōko Araki. During their married life Araki took abundant images of his wife before she died in 1990, he published Sentimental Journey, 1971, photographs taken while on their honeymoon, and Winter Journey, 1991, images taken during her last days, amongst others. Known for his diary-like documentation of everyday life, he has gone on to publish hundreds of books, create films, and in recent years photograph musicians Lady Gaga and Bjork. As one of the most prolific artists worldwide, his photography has been exhibited internationally in both individual and group exhibitions, with works residing in many significant public and private collections including the Tate Modern and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. After his exhibition “Love On The Left Eye”, Araki started shooting 6×7 color positive film and black and white photographs with date inscriptions in a diaristic manner documenting daily events and his emotions regarding life and death. In the current series, Araki presents everyday scenes in mirrored images to express the sense that he now sees the world from the side of death, i.e. the other side of the mirror. In 2013, after experiencing the onset and removal of prostate cancer and the death of his beloved cat Chiro, Araki suffered from central retinal artery occlusion and lost sight in his right eye. Despite this loss, he has continued to produce photographs at a prolific pace, transforming his sadness and thoughts on death into fuel for shooting photographs.

Info: Taka Ishii Gallery Photography / Film, 5-17-1 2F Roppongi Minato-ku Tokyo, Duration: 25/5-20/6/15, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat: 11:00-19:00, www.takaishiigallery.com/en