Nobuyoshi Araki - Higan

Nobuyoshi Araki
Higan

Published by Rat Hole, 2011
Size: 21.2 x 15.5
164 pages
Hardcover
Limited edition of 800 copies

Published by the Rat Hole gallery in 2011 on the occasion of its eponymous exhibition, Higan Nobuyoshi Araki's work presents images from two photographic series, Higan And Rakuen The first half of the book presents Araki's photographs from his series. Higan These images were taken during his intensive treatment for prostate cancer and after the death of his beloved cat, Chiro.

Photographed in black and white, these images evoke themes of loss and mortality, simultaneously referencing the meaning of Higan – “the other world” or “nirvana” in Buddhism. At the end of the publication, a series of images of Rakuen is included. The images burst with color and bloom. Flowers, nudes, and objects overflow with life, evoking Araki's feelings about an existing paradise, intimately linked to death.