Nobuyoshi Araki

Comprised of an essay by Adrian Searle, chief art critic of The Guardian newspaper, eight series of photographs and a full biography, this fully comprehensive catalogue gives a broad insight into the work of Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki.

Most famous for his erotic photographs, Araki is one of Japan’s most influential and prolific photographers, touching upon universal and timeless themes through distinctly Japanese subject matter. His work has been described, even by the artist himself, as a story, or as many stories, a kind of picaresque which follows the trail of a life. He has commented that 'lives and stories are mixed up in my photographs and I throw my emotions in the composition without any pre-planned plot.'

The 2001 exhibition at Ikon Gallery, for which this catalogue was produced, presented one of the most wide-ranging selections of the artist’s work shown to date, including groups of photographs ranging from those in his first solo exhibition, Satchin and His Brother Mabo, in 1963, to his 2001 series, End of the Century. Such a diversity of images is also represented in this publication, providing us with an opportunity to apprehend the artist’s vision through an examination of several juxtaposed series of photographs from different periods of the artist’s practice.

The essay also aims to explore the breadth of Araki’s career through a study of the expansive path he has taken, providing an insight into the artist’s background as well as his current artistic status