ARAKI.TOKYO

Japanese artist Nobuyoshi Araki (b. 1940) is one of the most prolific and provocative photographers of our time. His work spans a wide range of topics, from highly erotic representations of women to artificial still lifes, botanical portraits, photo-journalistic depictions of everyday life, and architectural photography – and almost diary-like shots of himself and his late wife.

Composed of 28 diptychs, “Tokyo” (1969–1973) is the template for one of Araki’s first book projects and stands at the beginning of his long-term engagement with Tokyo’s lifestyles and urban environment. Opposites such as anonymous and familiar, clothed and nude, interior and exterior worlds function as subtle references to the separation between public and private life, between dream and reality.

In 2004, the original edition of the book “Tokyo” (1973) was acquired with the support of PIN. The exhibition introduces the Tokyo series, supplemented by additional early experimental photographs, as well as artists’ books from the sixties and seventies.