Alluring Hell - Nobuyoshi Araki

Considered one of the most prolific Japanese artists of all time, photographer Nobuyoshi Araki creates work that is as nuanced as it is subversive, nostalgic as it is erogenous. Primarily known for his controversial, highly sexualized images of women, Araki has published over 450 photo books on subjects ranging from his birthplace of Tokyo, to his late wife (essayist Yōko Araki) on their honeymoon. This unique print from his Alluring Hell series finds Araki painting splashes of color over a familiar subject—a nude female figure. ABOUT NOBUYOSHI ARAKI Nobuyoshi Araki, born in Tokyo in 1940, is one of Japan’s most well-known and controversial photographers. Araki studied photography and filmmaking at Chiba University, where he developed an interest in Italian Neo-Realist and French Nouvelle Vague films, in particular the works of the directors Cari Theodor Dreyer and Robert Bresson. This influence is clear Araki's diaristic, erotically charged works, which are equally influenced by Japan’s urbanization and newfound commercialism after the Second World War, as well as in the artist’s stylistic references to Japanese toys, Karaoke bars, and other aspects of contemporary Japanese culture. Araki has published hundreds of books, and in addition to experimenting in filmmaking, he has also photographed contemporary musicians Lady Gaga and Bjork. His photography, which has been shown in group and solo exhibitions worldwide, is included in the collections of significant institutions including the Tate Modern, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo’s Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, and Paris’s Fondation Cartier.