SHOP Taka Ishii Gallery is pleased to present Polaroids, a solo exhibition of Nobuyoshi Araki from September 4 - October 10, 2021. Obsessed with the spontaneous nature of photography, Araki has persisted in a diaristic approach to his bold and unabashed photographic works for over half a century. By splitting the films apart, then splicing them together or applying paint on top, Araki has experimented and recreated imagery with the snapshots of nudes, flowers, toys, mundane objects and skyscapes captured through his vintage Polaroid camera. This exhibition will feature a selection of Polaroids shot between 2006 – 2016.
Araki's deeply personal image-making practice comprises recurring subjects, ranging from rope-bound women and decaying flowers to the people, events, food and objects he encounters every day. The iconic series of skyscapes, or 'shi-ku' (I-sky) as he termed, are taken from his balcony, which mirror his fleeting emotions, grievances and hope after the death of his late wife Yoko and beloved cat Chiro. Through the viewfinder, the artist ceaselessly explores the boundaries between life and death, sex and grief, everyday life and intimate moments.
Polaroids is the second exhibition of Araki at SHOP Taka Ishii Gallery, presenting altered Polaroid photographs along the lines of the 'shi-shosetsu' (I-novel) narrative. In the Arakiri series (2015), cut-images of individual female model are juxtaposed with a person or an object, in a way to resemble Araki's physical condition of imbalanced vision. Furthermore, the contrasting collages transcend the border between reality and fiction to reflect his mental landscape. Like in many other of his works that provoke Japan's censorship laws, Araki scribbled and spattered bright-colored strokes of acrylic paint wildly across the In-sha series (2013), taken with his favoured Impossible films. This technique is also applied to the Polaroid films of blurry silhouettes.
Press release courtesy SHOP Taka Ishii Gallery.
Shops 4A & 4B, UG/F, Bo Fung Mansion
No.1 St. Francis Yard
Wan Chai
Hong Kong
www.takaishiigallery.com
+852 3619 0011
The gallery is open by appointment only until further notice.
Tues - Sat, 11am - 7pm