ARCHIV

NOBUYOSHI ARAKI

Nobuyoshi Araki is undisputedly one of the most radical and seminal photographers of our time and is regarded as one of the most influential personalities on the contemporary art scene. His controversial nudes and intimate studies of the female body, part of a recurring canon of motifs, made him internationally famous.

His artistic career began in 1963/64 with pictures of children in the city, then Araki photographed his own honeymoon. The legendary book Sentimental Journey was created from these photos. In the 1970s, Araki moved away from press and reportage photography and focussed on the existential questions and abysses of human life, becoming increasingly interested in erotic themes.

With series such as Love by Leica (2006) and Last by Leica (2012-2014), he created atmospherically dense black and white compositions of portraits of women, nudes and cityscapes. With his photographs, he developed a unique visual signature that leaves behind a poetic depiction of human passions that transcends Japanese culture. The Kinbaku photographs, named after the traditional Japanese art of erotic bondage, are a central body of work in his oeuvre. In these works, Araki not only documents the aesthetics of the bound body, but also thematises power, devotion and control as part of human intimacy.

Duration of the exhibition: 13.06–02.08.2025

SEE ALL WORKS