File 2: "Shukei" by Nobuyoshi Araki, 1995

In 1973, just one year after his resignation from Denysu (large Japanese advertisement agency), Araki showed his unique body of work at the gallery of Kinokuniya Book Store in Shinjyuku, Tokyo. Created from the artificially manipulated, damaged negatives, his work of nude, portraits or landscape appeared very abstract and distorted.  Achieving a highly experimental effect, the work possibly surprised many viewers at the exhibition and successfully introduceed another side of his artistic expression.

With the title and his name artfully embossed on a silver-white metallic cover, all images of “Shukei” (meaning 'last scenery') are delivered from this exhibition in the early 1970s.  A book designer, Seiichi Suzuki who worked for an expanded edition of Hiromi Tsuchida’s “Zukushin” by Tosei-sha in 2004, conceived the book design.  “Shukei” was published for 1,000 editions by Araki's own publishing company, AaT Room. 

BOOK INFO:


Title: Shukei


Artist: Nobuyoshi Araki


Design: Seiichi Suzuki Design Room


Publisher: AaT Room


Date: 1995


Edition: 1,000


Size: 147.63 x 100.39 inches


Binding/page/printing: saddle stitched, 32 pages, off-set printing




ARTIST INFO: 

Nobuyoshi Araki


Japanese, b. 1940

In 1964 only one year after his graduation from Photography, Painting and Engineering Department at Chiba, he received the prestigious Taiyo Award from his “Satchin” project. Since then, he has been very active in making many publications and exhibiting his works both at home and abroad.  His often overly sexually pronounce work challenges social taboos surrounding sex and death and it has successfully received highly critical attention.  His main subject matters include female genitalia, Japanese bondage, flowers, food, his cat, faces and Tokyo street scenes.   "Sentimental Journey" (1971) and Tokyo Lucky Hole (1985) are considered to be ones of the most famous projects.  

His solo exhibitions include “Nobuyoshi Araki Photobook Exhibition: Arākī”, IZU PHOTO MUSEUM (Shizuoka, 2012), “NOBUYOSHI ARAKI: Self, Life, Death”, The Barbican Art Gallery (London, 2005), “Hana- Jinsei” Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography (2003), “Suicide in Tokyo” Italian Pavilion, Italia, Giardini di Castello (Venice, 2002), “Tokyo Still Life” Ikon Gallery (Birmingham, 2001), “Nobuyoshi Araki” Stedellik Museum voor Actuelle Kunst (Gent, 2000), “ARAKI Nobuyoshi Sentimental Photography, Sentimental Life” Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo(1999), “Tokyo Comedy” Wiener Secession (Vienna, 1997), “Journal intime” Fondation Cartier pour I’art contemporain (Paris, 1995), “Akt-Tokyo: Nobuyoshi Araki 1971-1991″ Forum Stadtpark (Graz, 1992). Araki was a recipient of the Austrian Decoration of Honor for Science and Arts (Austrian Embassy, 2008) and the 54th Mainichi Art Award (2012).

Nobuyoshi Araki Official Website