NOBUYOSHI ARAKI

Surely one of the most famous contemporary Japanese photographers along with Daido Moriyama, Nobuyoshi Araki is a legendary photographer.

Born in Tokyo in 1940, Araki learned about photography very early on thanks to the amateur practice of his craftsman father. He continued his studies with a specialization in photography and film staging, but only became a professional in the field when he joined the advertising agency Dentsu . Araki is famous today, in particular for his roped female nudes, according to the art of kinbaku (Japanese bondage). But his work is not limited to these sulphurous photographs since in everyday life the photographer almost never lets go of his camera. A prolific artist, the photographer creates images filled with eroticism, desire, which transcribe impulses of life and death in a sentimentality always assumed.

Araki was awarded the prestigious Higashikawa Prize in 1985 and was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in 2004. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern in London and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. All of these images have been published in over 500 photographic books, making Nobuyoshi Araki one of the most published photographers in the world today.

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Surely one of the most famous contemporary Japanese photographers alongside Daido Moriyama, Nobuyoshi Araki is a legendary photographer.

Born in Tokyo in 1940, Araki was introduced to photography at an early age by his father, as a hobby. He went on to study engineering, while specializing in photography and film-making, but didn't start taking photos professionally until he joined the Dentsu advertising agency. Araki is best known today for his roped-up female nudes, based on the art of kinbaku (Japanese bondage). However, his work is not limited to these sultry photographs, as the photographer almost never lets go of his camera on a daily basis. A prolific artist, he creates images full of eroticism and desire, reflecting the urges and the impulses of life and death with unashamed sentimentalism.

Araki was awarded the prestigious Higashikawa Prize in 1985, and was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in 2004. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern in London and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. All these images have been published in over 500 photographic books, making Nobuyoshi Araki today one of the most widely published photographers in the world.