The Banquet

Name: The Banquet
Brand: 荒木経惟 / ARAKI Nobuyoshi
Price: 17000 JPY
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This book is a re-edition of Nobuyoshi Araki's photobook Shokuji / The Banquet, released as the 15th volume in the "Books on Books" series by New York publisher Errata Editions. It reproduces every page of the original Shokuji, which was published by Magazine House in 1993 and later became difficult to obtain, allowing readers to experience the photobook's original composition.

Shokuji is an intensely personal photographic diary documenting the meals Araki shared with his wife, Yoko, during her final days. Using a ring strobe and a macro lens, the dishes are captured with vivid colors and close-ups, bringing them to life with raw intensity. Through the intimate act of daily meals, the book records the close moments shared by Araki and Yoko.

While the first half features vibrant color photographs, the images shift to monochrome after Araki is informed of Yoko's limited time. This transition in the gaze directed at the food on the table intertwines themes of life with a loved one, the body, food, life, and death.

This book is part of Errata Editions' "Books on Books" project, which reproduces rare and out-of-print significant photobooks page by page, showcasing their binding and sequencing. In addition to reproductions of the original Shokuji, it includes an essay by Ivan Vartanian titled "Dining—A Lover's Tryst." It is an important resource for understanding the nature of "I-photography" in Nobuyoshi Araki's work and for interpreting the photobook medium itself.

[Title] The Banquet
[Series] Books on Books #15
[Publisher] Errata Editions
[Publication Date] 2012
[Page Count] 136 pages
[Size] Approx. 185 x 248 x 17 mm / 650g
[Format] Hardcover, dust jacket
[Language] English
[Title Reading] ザバンケット (The Banquet)
[Author/Editor] Nobuyoshi Araki/Photographs & Text, Ivan Vartanian/Essay, Jeffrey Ladd/Series Concept & Book Design, Ed Grazda/Editor
[Printing] China
[ISBN] 978-1-935004-29-5
[Condition] Used [7] Very Good (Dust jacket: minor scratches on spine)
[Accessories] Dust jacket
[Featured In] -
[Related Books] Shokuji / Nobuyoshi Araki / Magazine House / 1993

Nobuyoshi Araki (1940-)

Born in Tokyo. After graduating from Chiba University with a degree in Photography and Printing Technology, he worked at Dentsu. While engaged in advertising photography, he continued his own photographic work. In 1971, he self-published the photobook Sentimental Journey. Starting with this work, which documented his honeymoon with his wife, Yoko, he developed a unique style that inextricably linked his private life and photography.

He continuously transformed events from his daily life—Tokyo streets, women, flowers, skies, meals, life and death with loved ones—into photographs, releasing a vast body of work and numerous photobooks. Through his practice, often referred to as "I-photography," he is highly regarded both domestically and internationally as one of the most representative photographers of post-war Japan.

His major works include Sentimental Journey, Tokyo Is Autumn, Photo-Crazy, Beloved Chiro, Toward Winter, Sentimental Journey / Winter Journey, Shokuji, Tokyo Lucky Hole, and Sachin.

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