Nobuyoshi Araki was born in 1940 in Tokyo, Japan, and is one of the most important contemporary photographers from Japan. He is well known for his controversial bondage images, his female nudes and a strong interest in sex and death. Some of his images are related to Shunga engravings in their sometimes erotic depictions. This link connects him to the Japanese erotic tradition.

 

The city of Tokyo has undoubtedly been one of his greatest sources of inspiration, as his first and most important muse. He has portrayed the city since the 1960s, and he continues to live there today.

 

Araki’s photography books include Sentimental Journey (1971), an intimate portrait of his wife on their honeymoon, and Tokyo Lucky Hole (1985), a report from the Tokyo Red Zone. Sentimental Journey turned into Winter Journey, when photos from his wife's last days were added; she died in 1990.

 

His work is part of major collections such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Goetz Collection in Munich, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Araki is undoubtedly the most international and controversial photographer of the contemporary Japanese art scene.

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Personal Sentimentalism in Photography, 2000/2007 

B & W print

39-7/8 x 50-3/4 inches 

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