Leben und Tod (Life and Death) is the latest collaboration between Nobuyoshi Araki (b.1940, Japan) and Juergen Teller (b. 1964, Germany) and is the culmination of their joint exhibition at artspace AM, Tokyo, in 2019.
This intensely personal project concentrates on Teller’s series “Leben und Tod” (Life and Death), which reflects upon the death of his uncle and step-father Artur, juxtaposing photographs of his mother and homeland in Bubenreuth, Bavaria, with symbolic images of fertility and life on holiday in Bhutan with his partner Dovile Drizyte.
Inspired by this series, Araki asked to photograph Teller’s “childhood memory objects,” items of particular emotional significance to him and his parents. Teller eagerly collected such personal gems, among them toys, a porcelain figurine and bridges made in the family’s violin workshop; the resulting images by Araki are haunting yet playful, creating an intriguing narrative alongside the original story.
Résumé: Ein kleiner Schatz. Intim und doch universell. Dezent und zurückhaltend in der Umsetzung. Entfaltet eine Sogwirkung bei mehrmaligem Durchblättern. Kitsch meets Horror meets Humor. Eine visuelle Konversation zwischen zwei großen Künstlern über die kleinen und großen Dinge des Lebens. Love it.
Book Specs: Essay and Texts: Juergen Teller; Designer: Juergen Teller; 72 pages; 67 images; Softcover in a sleeve; 26 x 19 cm; English; ISBN 978-3-95829-745-6; 1. Edition 07/2020. Available here.
