Exclusive images from Nobuyoshi Araki’s “Non-Diary Diary”

Words: Bryony Stone
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Date: 9 November 2016; News
Photography
Portrait
Technology

A collage of black and white photographs. One image shows a person in a flowing white dress, while another features two people sitting together and a third shows a person in a floral shirt. Handwritten ink signatures are scribbled across the centre. — Above
All images © Nobuyoshi Araki, courtesy Taka Ishii Gallery.

My heart beats; I squeeze the shutter.
Less a diary, more a transcript of time.
This is life: when the beat stops, I’ll be dead. — Nobuyoshi Araki

Fresh from his Supreme collab, Nobuyoshi Araki is back with Hi-Nikki (Non-Diary Diary), a publication commissioned by Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain to celebrate its 30th anniversary. For the publication, the prolific Japanese photographer took photographs daily from March to May 2014, amassing an impressive 1,250 images.

Views of Tokyo, still-lifes, portraits and restaurants and night spots are among the spontaneously-staged colour and monochrome images. Nobuyoshi’s signature is stamped firmly across shots which consider history, eroticism, and life through Nobuyoshi’s iconic camera lens.

Hi-Nikki is out later this month. A video of the publications can be viewed here

Three people pose together for a photograph. In the centre, a person wearing sunglasses and a T-shirt with a graphic print smiles at the camera, flanked by two people in bralettes. — Above
It’s Nice That exclusive, Nobuyoshi Araki: *Hi-Nikki*

A person with wild white hair and round glasses looks towards the camera. They are lit by a strong red glow against a matching red background. — Above
It’s Nice That exclusive, Nobuyoshi Araki: *Hi-Nikki*

A reflection of bright neon signs in a rain-slicked red pavement. The distorted lights create shimmering streaks of yellow, pink and blue across the wet surface. — Above
It’s Nice That exclusive, Nobuyoshi Araki: *Hi-Nikki*

Thinly sliced pieces of raw, marbled red meat are piled together against a black background. The meat is bright red with streaks of white fat. — Above
It’s Nice That exclusive, Nobuyoshi Araki: *Hi-Nikki*

A person stands with arms slightly open against a large projection of a bright blue sky with white clouds. They wear a dark jacket over a white T-shirt and dark trousers. — Above
Nobuyoshi Araki: *Hi-Nikki*

A person wearing sunglasses and a grey jacket stands in a gallery. They are surrounded by walls covered in a grid of black and white portrait photographs. — Above
Nobuyoshi Araki: *Hi-Nikki*

A person with a moustache and round glasses looks at the camera, holding a knife and fork upright. They wear a dark jacket over a white T-shirt with a floral print and a small aeroplane pin. — Above
Nobuyoshi Araki: *Hi-Nikki*

A person wears a pink and blue kimono, open at the chest and held by a black band. Beside them on a wooden table stands a wire lamp and a small doll. — Above
Nobuyoshi Araki: *Hi-Nikki*

A person wearing a patterned kimono and red obi sits on a dark floor against a textured red wall. They reach out to touch the open mouth of a small, white toy crocodile. — Above
Nobuyoshi Araki: *Hi-Nikki*

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Bryony Stone

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Bryony joined It's Nice That as Deputy Editor in August 2016, following roles at Mother, Secret Cinema, LAW, Rollacoaster and Wonderland. She later became Acting Editor at It's Nice That, before leaving in late 2018.

Exclusive images from Nobuyoshi Araki’s “Non-Diary Diary”

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