Nobuyoshi Araki
dal 18/11/2010 al 21/1/2011
Segnalato da
18/11/2010
Nobuyoshi Araki
Galerie Bob van Orsouw (old location), Zurich
PaINting. In his works Araki enframes both the intimate and the public by taking on monolithic themes such as eroticism, death or life. For his exhibition in Zurich, Araki has produced small-scale silver gelatin prints, partially overpainted in India ink.
The extensive work of the Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki (*1940, resides in Tokyo) possesses a great deal of keyed-up potential. In his works Araki enframes both the intimate and the public by taking on monolithic themes such as eroticism, death or life. This fine-art photographer has in the past also collaborated with other artists, among whom the photographer Nan Goldin or the Icelandic musician Björk. In addition, since the 1960s he has published over five hundred books, most of which were issued in Japan.
Araki became renowned and acclaimed for his nudes. At first glance, these photographs seem disturbing; most of the sparsely clothed women are shown in shackles. The images provide the male gaze - so the rash conclusion - with effortless, passive diversion. What is easily overlooked is that the photographs are not based on coercive situations, but on poses that are voluntarily chosen by the participants. Erotic bondage or "kinbaku" goes as far back historically as the Middle Ages. It has little to do with western forms of bondage, where sexuality is foregrounded. Instead his photographs highlight the aesthetic marvel of the human body. In a 2008 newspaper interview he himself said on his position of power behind the camera: "I can shackle the body of a woman, but not her mind. The bonds become an embrace."
For his exhibition in Zurich, Araki has produced small-scale silver gelatin prints, partially overpainted in India ink. Such a time-consuming and costly procedure seems quite anachronistic in this digital age of image production. But it is through such compositional constellations that he repeatedly succeeds in lending his photos an inexplicable allure.
Stefan Wagner
Opening: 19 November 2010 - 18
Galerie Bob Van Orsouw
Limmatstrasse 270 - Zurich
Opening Hours: Tues/Wed/Fri 12 - 6 pm, Thur 12 - 8 pm, Sat 11 am - 5 pm, and by appointment
Admission free