Nobuyoshi Araki

I thought I would explore further the artists I came across at the beginning of my research as I felt they have become highly relevant to my project.

Nobuyoshi Araki is one of Japan's best-known photographers, photographing a range of diverse subjects such as flowers, kinbaku (the Japanese art of rope-tying), and Tokyo street scenes. His images are often provocative and can trigger extreme reactions. He plays with themes such as love, sex, death, consumption, natural beauty, and femininity. His work often confronts these subjects and issues dramatically.

Recent exhibitions include The Cartier Foundation, Paris (1995), Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (1997), Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (1999), Facts of Life: Contemporary Japanese Art, Hayward Gallery (2001) and most recently in London in "Self•Life•Death" (2006) at Barbican Art Gallery (http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=3535).

I am not sure whether I like most of his work after further research. I do like his use of materials such as the polaroids; that idea of an instant images gives the viewer a feeling of being there at the time of the picture making it appear more interactive with the subject. I find Araki subjects and final work too strong, loud unsettling. Although saying this he is using the images soo emotively and uniquely they conjure up instant feelings of disgust, horror, anger and even saddness. Hence to an extent he is very successfully achieving shock value.