"Kekkai": The Sacred and the Profane Re-edited Through Photography

AM, a new art space in Omotesando, Tokyo, has grand-opened, managed by the former planning staff of "Impossible Project Space," which was based in Nakameguro until this spring. The inaugural exhibition, held in a cave-like, otherworldly space that suddenly appears within an office building, is the "Kekkai" instant film photography exhibition by photographer Nobuyoshi Araki.

"Kekkai" is a Buddhist term meaning "to divide the profane world and establish a sacred space within." Purity and impurity, happiness and misfortune, paradise and hell. Opposing forces, to varying degrees, are always present in everyone's life. While enjoying brilliant success and global acclaim, Nobuyoshi Araki has faced the death of loved ones, his own cancer surgery, and blindness in his right eye. He has confronted all the swirling events around him directly, receiving them through his lens.

What is expressed through Araki's works in this exhibition, under the title "Kekkai," is nothing less than a re-editing of the sacred and the profane through photography. By firmly joining fragments of two instant film prints with his own hands, Araki creates an entirely new world.

To accompany this exhibition, a special edition of the same-titled photobook, housed in a box at the original size of the instant film, has been produced in a limited run of 300 copies and will be available for pre-sale at the venue.

AM art space opens spectacularly with Nobuyoshi Araki's "Kekkai" photography exhibition. Anticipation is high for the various collaborations that will undoubtedly emerge from this space in the future.