Whispering Catastrophe: Sara Giannini and Jacopo Miliani's Queer Japanese Journey

Artist Jacopo Miliani and curator Sara Giannini have co-authored 'Whispering Catastrophe', a collection of visual and written essays exploring male-male love in Japan, with a focus on censorship of the male body and queer publishing history. The project originated from a chance discovery of a vintage gay magazine in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ni-chōme district in June 2013, which revealed direct and indirect censorship strategies that spurred creativity. The book traces linguistic strategies used by the Japanese gay community across historical periods, drawing on sources from erotic whispers of activist Tōgō Ken to occult imagery in the magazine 'Le Sang et La Rose'. Published by SelfPleasurePublishing, the volume includes five unpublished essays by Giannini and Miliani, illustrated with rare underground magazines, books, and visual materials by photographers like Tamotsu Yatō and figures like Kurō Haga. The research delves into theatrical implications and literary references ranging from Carmelo Bene to Mishima and Dostoevsky, centering on Mishima's concept of catastrophe as a strategy for evasion and emancipation. The book's cover features a pinky camp style with a stylized Doric capital, evoking ancient Greek culture that permeates Japanese gay imagery.