shashasha

Steidl’s extensive catalogue featuring 13 of Nobuyoshi Araki’s series.

Published to accompany the exhibition “Araki, Impossible Love” at C/O Berlin (December 2018 – March 2019), this catalogue takes a look at Nobuyoshi Araki’s oeuvre under the viewpoints of privacy and moral heterogeneity in Japanese society. The series that make up the book include “Theater of Love 1965”, “Memoirs of Yoko 1968-70”, “Sentimental Journey 1971”, “Days We Were Happy 1972”, “Tokyo 1973”, “Winter Journey 1989/90”, as well as the newer series “Flower/Doll 2018”, “Gloves 2018”, “Kimbaku 2018”, “Kirishin 2018”, “Shokuji 2018”, “Someone’s Wife 2018” and “Sky/Winds 2018”.
In his introductory essay, Felix Hoffmann points out the appeal of Araki’s photographs: “radical intimacy in the interweaving of personal experiences with external social tensions. The immediacy of his photos often comes in part from the exhibitionism of his surroundings as it catches his gaze. As collages, his photos continually reveal aspects of a dysfunctional society that is too often based on superficial values, and question the social responsibility and moral attitudes of its members.”

“Impossible Love” provides a great point of entry for anyone interested in Araki’s work or looking to familiarize themselves more deeply with the fascination of his photographs.