Museum of Sex Explores Nobuyoshi Araki Work Through an Exclusive Film Screening and NSFW Kinbaku Performances

NYC’s infamous Museum of Sex's current show, which explores the controversial works of Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, has announced two supplemental special public events. Titled The Incomplete Araki: Sex, Life, and Death in the Works of Nobuyoshi Araki, the ongoing retrospective, cataloguing the career of the notorious and prolific artist, is the first of it’s like in the United States. On display now, the exhibition examines Nobuyoshi’s nearly 50 years of work, which challenged intimacy standards and taboos through sexually explicit images. An immense amount of peices will be on view, including over 400 books, 150 prints, and 500 Polaroids.

In collaboration with the Japan Society, a screening of Arakimentari will take place on July 10th, a film which documents Araki’s work. A discussion will follow with the film's director, Travis Klose, along with photography expert Christopher Phillips and moderator Yukie Kamiya, which will focus on the photographer’s practice and relationships with his subjects. Tickets for the showing can be found here.  On July 17th and 19th, MoSEX lounge will hold performances by Hajime Kinoko and Aime Feti of the ancient, erotic Japanese artform of Kinbaku, which literally translates to “the beauty of tight binding.”  Kinbaku artist Hajime Konoko uses the ropes to create abstract installations, while aiming to surprise the audience with his surreal and complex structures. More information on the event can be found here. In case you miss the two events, you can stil catch the exhibition will be on view until August 31st. 

Words: Paola de Oliveira
Photography: Nobuyoshi Araki, Taka Ishii Gallery