Toshio Saeki's Ero-Guro Serigraphs at Galerie Da End

Galerie Da End in Paris presents an exhibition of serigraphs by the late Japanese illustrator Toshio Saeki (1945-2019), titled "Hana Yasha," running until March 27, 2021. The works were produced in 2009 under Saeki's direction with master screenprinter Fumie Taniyama. Saeki was a leading figure in the ero-guro tradition, blending eroticism and gore, yet his compositions are marked by a restrained, ligne claire minimalism and sparing use of color, notably red for blood and fiery skies. The images depict horror scenes: young girls attacked by specters, decapitated patriarchs, and perverse children. Saeki's art, born from his imagination during his virginal school days when classmates requested masturbatory material, is characterized by black humor. Despite explicit content, Saeki never depicted genitalia due to Japanese censorship, instead suggesting or mutilating those areas. He spent his last two decades in a forest cabin. The exhibition includes serigraphs on mulberry paper (washi kozo) in editions of 18 or 38. The review by Richard Leydier draws parallels to the Marquis de Sade and defends artistic freedom against moral judgment, citing Plato's view of images as reflections. Saeki's work is compared to photographers Nobuyoshi Araki and Daikichi Amano, and the film Battle Royale.