On December 7, the activist group Angry Asian Girls Association staged a protest at the opening of the exhibition Nobuyoshi Araki: Impossible Love – Vintage Photographs at the gallery C/O Berlin
Kaori, Nobuyoshi Araki. Source: Christie's
Members of the group Angry Asian Girls Association (AAGA) draw attention to accusations brought by Japanese model Kaori against 78-year-old photographer Nobuyoshi Araki. They have worked together for 16 years.
In April 2018, Kaori wrote in a blog post the artist had exploited and emotionally bullied her, refused to sign a professional contract, had not granted her privacy during photo shoots, underpaid her and had not informed her how and when photos would be published.
The activist group said: “We demand changes in the art industry’s structure, which only wants to limit women to be the ‘Muse’ to inspire male artists. We demand changes in the organizations and institutions which agree to strengthen the structures.”
On November 30, AAGA wrote a complaint to the gallery C/O Berlin. They received a reply from curator Felix Hoffman: “By 2001, when Araki started working with Kaori, Araki had published more than 400 (!) books already. The model should have been aware of his type of work. . . . Photos of the model Kaori will not be exhibited.”
The gallery told Artnews: “Nobuyoshi Araki’s work provokes strong emotions and polarizes viewers—in Germany today just as it did in Japan when it first appeared. C/O Berlin takes critique of artists and artistic work in the context of the international Me Too debate very seriously. Visitors to the exhibition are invited to join this debate by writing their opinions in our guest book or sharing their views online with the hashtag #arakidebate.”
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