Untitled (Kaori, 2004)

Nobuyoshi Araki is an internationally renowned Japanese photographer whose work daringly and explicitly confronts taboo subjects such as sex and death. With their brazen depiction of erotic or pornographic subjects, Araki’s photographs often attract controversy. ‘Untitled (Kaori, 2004)’ features motifs that appear throughout his oeuvre, including the small toy dinosaur that is positioned next to the half naked woman, dressed in a Japanese kimono. Often described as the photographer’s avatar, these toys allow Araki to put himself in the scenes he depicts. Along with much of his other work, this photograph is a sexually charged image that deals with the theme of desire.