Next month, fans of the prolific photographer Nobuyoshi Araki can see his works firsthand, when 30 black-and-white silver prints will be put on display at Bangkok’s Leica Gallery. All images included in the exhibit, titled Life by Film, were captured on Araki’s Leica M7 — the last analog model of the manufacturer.
The Tokyo-born Araki, now 79, is known for his explicit and provocative visual work, and reached a level of infamy around the world due to his trademark subversive style of photography, which often features jarring erotic imagery. Araki — who is visually impaired in the right eye — has been widely admired for having pioneered an artistic genre of his own, and for his singular perspective in documenting honest, sentimental and intimate moments in daily life.
Curator Hisako Motoo, on Araki’s influence on him, wrote: “Through him, I have learned that all things of ordinary living can and will fulfill the extraordinary. The quiet drama of a familiar alley, trees sparkling with droplets of water after the rain, a subtle shift in human expression as they wait at a crossroads; I learned all from Araki’s most basic gesture, the pressing of the shutter release button.”
“I look up to Araki as a master artist and photographer who consistently pushed photography forward for decades … I had a chance to attend Araki’s exhibition many times and I was impressed by his works that show his own direction, and that makes me realize that I had to find my own direction as well,” said Bangkok-based photographer and co-curator Piyatat Hemmatat. “From his works, I see new possibilities in photography.”
Life by Film will take place from August 28 until November 27 at Leica Gallery Bangkok. The opening day, August 28, will run from 3:30pm until 6pm at Lido Connect with a curator’s talk led by Hisako Motoo, as well as a movie screening. Following these events, the opening reception will run from 7pm through 9pm. Registration can be made online, or through emailing leicagallerybangkok@alist.co.th or calling +66 2656 1102.
FIND IT:
Life by Film is showing from August 29 – November 27
Leica Gallery Bangkok, Gaysorn Village, 999 Phloen Chit Rd, Pathum Wan, Bangkok
Open daily 10am – 8pm
BTS: Chit Lom
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