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Nobuyoshi Araki

Nobuyoshi Araki (Tokyo, 1940) is one of the most recognized photographers in Japan who has been focusing his work in themes of Eros, Thanatos (sex, death) as well as impermanence in life.

Shortly after he started his career as a commercial photographer at advertising agency Dentsu, he also started organizing solo exhibitions and publishing photography books for himself. In 1971, Araki self-published “Sentimental Journey”, a documentary of his honeymoon with Yoko, which was his own kind of announcement as a photographer, as well as a “declaration of war” against existing photographic expressions. Araki has since built his autobiographical, “I-photography” style (named after ‘I-novels’ in literature) with photographs of his private life; daily and sexual scenes in Tokyo;“story-photography” composed of series of photographs; sensational portraits that resemble pornographic paintings back in Edo period; as well as photographs of flowers, food, sky, closely capturing the beauty in various kinds of subjects.

His solo exhibitions include “Nobuyoshi Araki Photobook Exhibition: Arākī”, IZU PHOTO MUSEUM (Shizuoka, 2012), “NOBUYOSHI ARAKI: Self, Life, Death”, The Barbican Art Gallery (London, 2005), “Hana- Jinsei” Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography (2003), “Suicide in Tokyo” Italian Pavilion, Italia, Giardini di Castello (Venice, 2002), “Tokyo Still Life” Ikon Gallery (Birmingham, 2001), “Nobuyoshi Araki” Stedellik Museum voor Actuelle Kunst (Gent, 2000), “ARAKI Nobuyoshi Sentimental Photography, Sentimental Life” Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo(1999), “Tokyo Comedy” Wiener Secession (Vienna, 1997), “Journal intime” Fondation Cartier pour I’art contemporain (Paris, 1995), “Akt-Tokyo: Nobuyoshi Araki 1971-1991″ Forum Stadtpark (Graz, 1992).

Araki was a recipient of the Austrian Decoration of Honor for Science and Arts (Austrian Embassy, 2008) and the 54th Mainichi Art Award (2012).

PORTFOLIO / PRINTS

  • Nobuyoshi Araki

    Portfolio: Diptychs from `Tokyo Nude` and ‘Shi Sha Shin’ . Platinum and Palladium Prints in a folding case.

    Nobuyoshi Araki　Portfolio: Diptychs from `Tokyo Nude` and ‘Shi Sha Shin’ . Platinum and Palladium Prints in a folding case.

    The new Araki diptychs consist of nude and Tokyo landscape positioned on the left and the right respectively with the artist’s own calligraphy called ‘Sho’ in Japanese.
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  • Nobuyoshi Araki

    Diptychs from `Tokyo Nude` and ‘Shi Sha Shin’

    Nobuyoshi Araki　Diptychs from `Tokyo Nude` and ‘Shi Sha Shin’

    The new Araki diptychs consist of nude and Tokyo landscape positioned on the left and the right respectively with the artist’s own calligraphy called ‘Sho’ in Japanese.
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  • Nobuyoshi Araki

    Book + Folio " Sentimental Journey"

    Nobuyoshi Araki　Sentimental Journey Book+Folio

    amanasalto is releasing in collaboration with the publisher a special edition, which includes 1 platinum print (selection from 3 images) and a reprinted copy of the book.
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  • Nobuyoshi Araki

    Sentimental Journey - The Complete Contact Sheets

    Nobuyoshi Araki Sentimental Journey

    "To live is to go through a sentimental journey, and to him, to photograph is to go through a sentimental journey." This is a quote by Yoko, Araki’s beloved wife who passed away in 1990. No other word can better represent Araki, someone whose life cannot be separated from photography.
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  • Nobuyoshi Araki

    Hong Kong Kiss

    Nobuyoshi Araki

    “The humidity and heat is quite exhausting it makes me sweat so much. The city itself is slightly foggy […]
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  • Nobuyoshi Araki

    Love on the Left Eye

    Love on the Left Eye

    Entitled as Love on the Left Eye, this new series by Nobuyoshi Araki refers to Ed van der Elsken's legendary photo book from 1956, Love on the Left Bank, by which Araki was greatly inspired when he was around twenty-years old.
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  • Nobuyoshi Araki

    Pillow Book "Erotos"

    Pillow Book “Erotos”

    Araki's seminal series Erotos was first published back in 1993. This year, we have chosen 10 images from the series, printed the images with our platinum printing technology, and sewn them together into a Pillow Book what is covered with genuine leather and contains the artist's autograph, an edition number, as well as an original polaroid photographed by the artist.
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  • Nobuyoshi Araki

    Erotos 2013

    Nobuyoshi Araki

    The title "Erotos" is a term that Nobuyoshi Araki coined to express an image in which "Eros" and "Thanatos" harmoniously blend together. For these ambitiously provocative photographs, Araki used a macro lens and ring strobe flash to shoot his subjects at the closest possible range. The resulting extreme close-ups show only fragments of the photographer's subject, dismantling the image's original meaning, and exposing their true nature as overwhelming manifestations of "Erotos." Re-edited and reinterpreted from a contemporary point of view, the controversial series that originally became known as Araki's seminal work in 1993 takes a new form. This new "Erotos" marks the first occasion for his photography to be printed in platinum palladium print.
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