Originally published online, a review of Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki’s 2005 exhibition ‘araki: self.life.death’.

araki: self.life.death

This show, the most complete exhibition of Araki to be held in Britain, is an almost overwhelming immersion into the world of the Japanese photographer - a man who has been both taking photographs and producing pictures for nearly half a century. In an exhibition that makes great use of the Barbican exhibition space we are plunged into ‘Arachy’, as he likes to put it, surrounded by over 4,000 images from all stages of his career. Araki basically photographs two subjects: women (mostly naked) and tokyo - although that hides both the huge interest, and enormous outrageousness of much of what he produces. The promotional material warns “araki:self.life.death contains work of an adult nature ... parental guidance is advised” and this is something of an understatement. However Araki is a tremendously important photographer with, as this show clearly demonstrates, the ability to make the whole very much more than the sum of the parts. Make sure you check out the polaroids room and the documentary “Arakimentari”, shown as part of the exhibition. And, throughout October, Araki is curating a series of films with some fantastic (if perhaps unlikely) selections.



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