Nobuyoshi Araki's Half-Century Retrospective in Siena

Over 2,200 photographs by Nobuyoshi Araki (Tokyo, 1940) are on display at Santa Maria della Scala in Siena, covering fifty years of his career. The exhibition spans his early work documenting Tokyo's children in 'Satchin and his Brother Mabo' (1963), the subway series 'Subway of Love' (1963-72) capturing urban solitude, intimate portraits of his wife Yoko, and explicit female nudes. A new color series 'Araki's Paradise', created for this show, evokes German Wunderkammer and the transience of life, with flowers arranged by the artist and shot just before wilting. The installation is criticized for placing large prints too close together. The show explores themes of poetry, mortality, eroticism, and urban life, with Araki's ability to emphasize gaze and subtle details over vulgarity.