Seen: Rakuen楽園
Who: Nobuyoshi Araki 荒木経惟
Where: Art Space AM, Harajuku (map)
When: January 11 - March 3, 2021 (Open 1-7pm. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays)
Rakuen (paradise) is the latest in a long line of Nobuyoshi Araki’s exhibitions at Artspace AM in Harajuku. I think there’s been at least twenty-two Araki shows here since independent curator Hisako Motoo opened the gallery in 2014. Motoo-san is a longtime collaborator of Araki- she’s produced at least twenty of his books- and is, in my opinion, the best editor of his work after the photographer himself.
Eighty-one this year, the pandemic has kept Araki at home but it hasn’t hampered his output. As with most of his AM shows, Rakuen is a presentation of recent photographs- expressions of Araki’s view of paradise- odd worlds of decaying flowers populated by bizzare, often broken, dolls and dinosaurs. These he sets up and shoots with his Pentax 67 at home. AM shows also have at least three hundred of his Polaroids- the handsome square frames hold 99 Polaroids each. Those under glass are a mixture of mid-2000′s actresses and housewives from two different magazine serializations. Interspersed are recent instant snaps of dolls and flowers.
These AM shows are interesting- obviously the venue is unlike anything else in the city but they often have other details and items to see. In this particular one viewers can see the Araki-themed Rakuen jacket and large tote bag from the recent COMME des GARÇONS X SWITCH magazine “People of the Year” collaboration project. These are available in Tokyo at Dover Street Market, in Ginza.