「千萬不要將攝影與人生分開，對我來說，攝影就是人生，攝影就是生活。」——荒木經惟
“Never separate photography from life. For me, photography is life; photography is living.” — Nobuyoshi Araki
Why it matters:
走進荒木經惟攝影的世界，就是走進他的人生。日本攝影巨匠荒木經惟 (Nobuyoshi Araki) 稱自己的攝影作品為「私攝影」，以第一人稱的表現手法，他把自己赤裸地展現在照片中，投注自己的情感，就像私小說一樣。荒木的攝影展「樂園‧花間」已於 K11 MUSEA CEMENT開幕。適逢今年 5 月荒木將迎來其 84 歲誕辰，港、澳兩地的展覽皆為觀眾帶來荒木橫跨四十年創作生涯、逾 200 幅經典之作，以寶麗來照片、幻燈片等多種形式呈現，致敬其經典作品。
Walking into Nobuyoshi Araki’s photography world is like walking into his life. The Japanese photography master, Nobuyoshi Araki, calls his photographic works “private photography.” Using a first-person perspective, he presents himself nakedly in his photos, pouring his emotions into them, much like a private novel. Araki’s photography exhibition “Paradise” has opened at K11 MUSEA CEMENT. Coinciding with his 84th birthday in May this year, exhibitions in Hong Kong and Macau bring audiences over 40 years of Araki’s creative career, with more than 200 classic works presented in various forms such as Polaroid photos and slides, paying tribute to his iconic works.
4 Hightlights:
．自小受父親影響而接觸攝影美學的荒木經惟，從象徵欲望與死亡的「Eros」及「Thanatos」中汲取靈感，轉化爲引人入勝的攝影命題，並以花卉與女性為象徵。荒木結合希臘神話中的Eros 與Thanatos，創造出「Erotos」一詞，以此主題貫穿其藝術生涯。「Erotos」中的「eros」代表「生」、「性」、「此岸」與「thanatos」所指涉的「死」與「彼岸」相對。荒木將其合而為一，生死究竟是對立還是一體？日本文化中的侘寂（Wabi Sabi）讓人體會到萬物凋零、世事無常的美——正因為花朵會凋謝，所以盛開時顯得更美。在荒木的鏡頭下，植物凋謝腐爛，在人們眼中離經叛道的他，卻延續了日本禪宗的義理。「Erotos」像極佛教裏「枯榮」的概念。草木枯榮是自然之道，有榮必有枯，會枯才會榮，如同晝夜更替、四季輪轉，只是因緣和合，本無好壞之分。
．Influenced by his father since childhood, Nobuyoshi Araki delved into the aesthetics of photography. He drew inspiration from the symbolic desires and deaths of “Eros” and “Thanatos,” transforming them into captivating photographic themes, often symbolized by flowers and women. Araki combined the Greek mythological figures Eros and Thanatos to create the term “Erotos,” a theme that runs through his artistic career. In “Erotos,” “eros” represents “life,” “sexuality,” “this shore,” and contrasts with “thanatos,” which signifies “death” and “the other shore.”
Araki merges these concepts, questioning whether life and death are opposites or parts of a whole. The Japanese cultural concept of Wabi Sabi allows us to appreciate the beauty of impermanence and decay—flowers are more beautiful when they bloom because they will wither eventually. Through Araki’s lens, the decay and rot of plants challenge conventional perceptions but continue the philosophical ideals of Japanese Zen Buddhism.
“Erotos” resembles the Buddhist concept of “kuroi,” where the withering and flourishing of plants represent the natural way of things—flourishing must be accompanied by withering, and vice versa. It’s akin to the cycle of day and night, the changing seasons, all inherently neutral without inherent judgments of good or bad.
．花在荒木的作品中往往象徵著性，隱喻著生死，而荒木開始拍攝花的契機也是一個生死關頭。故事與他觸目驚心的攝影作品迥然不同，溫情脈脈。在《寫真的話》中，他回憶起自己趕往醫院去看病危的妻子，在路上買了一多含苞待放的小布希花，並拍下了自己與布希花的影子。最終，他的妻子捱不過幾個小時便去世了。就在此時，花蕾突然綻放。生與死，又一次交錯。他說：「我真正感到悲傷、淒涼的時候，我就開始拍攝色彩照片。」
．Flowers often symbolize sexuality and metaphorically represent life and death in Nobuyoshi Araki’s works. The catalyst for Araki’s start in photographing flowers was also a life-and-death moment. This story diverges starkly from his visually striking photographic works, carrying a warm and tender sentiment. In “Sentimental Journey,” he recalls rushing to the hospital to see his critically ill wife. On the way, he bought a bunch of tightly closed bush flowers and captured his and the flower’s shadows. Eventually, his wife passed away after just a few hours. At that moment, the flower buds suddenly bloomed. Life and death intertwined once again. He said, “I began shooting color photographs when I truly felt sad and lonely.”
．香港限定 POP-UP^展出荒木經惟以「花」和「女性」為主、從九十 年代至最新 2023 年的多組作品，以及近百張藝術家經典即影即有。即影即有作為荒木經惟在菲林以外另一個重要的攝影媒介， 大家將可一睹被荒木鏡頭所捕捉的獨一無二底片成像。荒木經惟「樂園‧花間」香港限定店，迎來100多幅舉世聞名的攝影作品，更首度公開部分從未曝光的寶麗來照片，以讓參觀者身臨其境的沉浸方式，展示荒木經惟的攝影珍藏。
．The Hong Kong exclusive pop-up exhibition features Nobuyoshi Araki’s works primarily focused on “flowers” and “women,” spanning from the 1990s to the latest in 2023. The exhibition includes multiple sets of works and nearly a hundred classic instant photographs by the artist. Instant photography, as another significant medium for Araki outside of film, allows viewers to see the unique film images captured by Araki’s lens. The Nobuyoshi Araki “Paradise” Hong Kong exclusive store presents over 100 internationally renowned photographic works, including some Polaroid photos that have never been publicly revealed before. This immersive approach aims to showcase Araki’s photographic treasures and allow visitors to experience them firsthand.
．港澳現場將帶來 FUJIFILM 體驗專區，特別重啟八十年代首度面世的標誌性 Carousel 旋轉式投影機連同荒木經惟幻燈片攝影作品，以 FP-Z8000/FP-Z6000 投影機呈現荒木經惟之著作，從另一角度賞析大師一攝入魂的風采。
．At the Hong Kong and Macau venues, there will be a FUJIFILM experience zone featuring the iconic Carousel rotary projector that first appeared in the 1980s. This will be paired with Nobuyoshi Araki’s slide photography works, presented using the FP-Z8000/FP-Z6000 projectors. This setup allows viewers to appreciate Araki’s masterful compositions from a different perspective, showcasing the soulful essence of the master’s photography.
Background – 荒木經惟:
荒木經惟生於 1940 年，是具國際影響力的日本攝影家，與森山大道和杉本博司被譽為戰後在日本最重要的攝影家，亦是 BBC 製作的《攝影藝 術百年史》中唯一被拍攝的亞洲攝影大師。 生與死、愛與慾一直是荒木經惟鏡頭下關注的議題。生的慾望束縛與放蕩不羈、死亡的無奈悲哀與 意氣超脫，它們混合與共存，一並成為荒木經惟作品的綿長底蘊與銳利靈感。源自兒時成長環境的影響，居住在東京的紅燈區，附近的墳墓則 是他的遊樂場。荒木經惟在他傳奇人生裡歷經種種高低，其於 1990 年經歷愛妻陽子過世後，拍攝了大量花的綻放、枯萎與腐朽為主題的作 品。荒木經惟在取景框裡看到的世界，便是他的樂園。 他自如地流連與定格在花間，以花的哀艷與幻滅詮釋光陰流動與生命無常。
Nobuyoshi Araki, born in 1940, is an internationally influential Japanese photographer. He is acclaimed alongside Daido Moriyama and Hiroshi Sugimoto as one of the most important post-war photographers in Japan. He is also the only Asian photographer featured in the BBC documentary series “The Genius of Photography”. Themes of life and death, love, and desire, have always been the focus of Araki’s lens. The desires and restraints of life, the inevitability and detachment of death, these elements blend and coexist, becoming the enduring essence and sharp inspiration of Araki’s work. Influenced by his childhood environment and living in Tokyo’s red-light district, with nearby graves as his playground, Araki’s work reflects these unique experiences. In his storied life, Nobuyoshi Araki has experienced a range of triumphs and tribulations. After the passing of his beloved wife, Yoko, in 1990, he created a large body of work focusing on the blooming, withering, and decay of flowers. The world Araki sees through his lens is his paradise. He effortlessly lingers and freezes moments among flowers, using their beauty and transient nature to depict the flow of time and the impermanence of life.
Final Tips:
展覽同步展出暌違 11 年、首次更新至市面上最高規格的新款即影即有相機 instax mini 99，觀眾更可率先體驗及選購，絕對為攝影迷帶來與別不同的互動樂趣。
The event will also introduce the latest model of the instax mini camera, the instax mini 99, which has been updated for the first time in 11 years to the highest specifications available on the market. Visitors will have the opportunity to be the first to experience and purchase, offering photography enthusiasts an engaging and interactive exhibition experience.
荒木經惟「樂園‧花間」Nobuyoshi Araki’s “Paradise“
Date:
2024. 4 . 27 – 2024. 5. 15
Venue:
CEMENT
香港 K11 MUSEA 地下 MUSE EDITION G31
CEMENT, G31, MUSE EDITION, G/F, K11 MUSEA