ARAKI Ojo Shashu – Photography for the Afterlife: Alluring Hell

ARAKI Ojo Shashu - Photography for the Afterlife: Alluring Hell gives a distinct reflection on the oeuvre of the Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki (Tokyo, 1940). The extensive exhibition comprises both his notorious early work, as well as his very recent series that have never been shown in the Netherlands before. The unique presentation follows an international heavyweight in the dusk of his life. Araki is one of the most celebrated Japanese artists of our time. He is noted for his seemingly detached bondage-photographs. Simultaneously his work is very intimate and personal, often closely related to his hometown Tokyo and to the memories of his late wife Yoko.

The exhibition is conceived in collaboration with Araki. The starting point is the reflection that the photographer today has on his oeuvre. The past months, the 74-year-old Araki has been working on stylized photographs of flowers and dolls. Also, he has rediscovered a series of erotic black-and-white prints and overpainted them. These recent series set the tone of the exhibition; they mirror Araki's acceptance of, as well as his resistance to decline.

The exhibition is made in cooperation with Galerie Alex Daniëls / Reflex Amsterdam.