So, Nobuyoshi Araki, finally. Although, this may be more of an introduction to him, or perhaps, a few paragraphs where I babble on an on about my difficulties writing about him and attempting to understand his work, or rather, the different ways to consider his subject matter, which is very often bondage. I have chosen not to include, for now, some of the more explicit images, although I think they also deserve their space. In an art history class last semester I showed some of his work, and the teacher was quite shocked, from what I can recall. I particular, I think she found his work repulsive when I told the class that he often was naked himself when photographing these tied-up women.
So, why? There are many different why's.
Why am I showing him?
Why is that problematic?
Why do I have inhibitions showing, supporting and even just discussing his works?
Why are they in the way that they are? I suppose this meant, what are they?
What are our true private parts? Our genitals or our faces?
This review, or commentary, is interesting, as the author writes about the retrospective exhibition in question as a holistic experience; that only looking to his pornographic and erotic photographs, and then judging him by those, would be inaccurate, and we ourselves would lose a lot from that. For example, a reference to the two series about death, one about his wife, and one about his cat. They are both very sad, and also hard to look at. But not because there are private parts I am too shy to look at, but because I can see his hand holding the hand of his dead or dying wife, or his cat getting thinner and thinner, until it lies in a little coffin, barely skin and bones left. And that is equally difficult, but much more private, and more voyeuristic of me to look at. At least, that is how it seems to me.
Food, flowers. Both carrying heavy sexual connotations, and in his photography, even more so.
And then, the "appropriate" feminist response; he is a chauvinist pig, using his camera as a penis to exploit these more or less innocent women, who, no matter if they are there by free will or not, are tied up, and so they are helpless. But they look directly into the camera, most of the time. And, they do not appear to be ashamed, or like victims. Do I then need to free myself of this idea? I already told you I would babble on for some paragraphs.
I will come back to you, Araki Nobuyoshi. We are far from done with each other, mister.