Back in 2012, Nobuyoshi Araki started an ongoing project called “Last by Leica”, through which the Japanese photographer documents his life and artistic/photographic work in the form of a visual diary. The project name also references Araki’s choice of tool; a Leica M7, which was the last analogue camera from the manufacturer.

Through Araki’s lens we are presented with the photographer’s personal experiences. The existence of physicality and sexuality is one of the key themes of his work, while he also frequently explores the fragmentary identities and society’s cult of beauty. Everyday objects, mannequins, body parts and ordinary people are featured in the exhibited works, and they all share a sense of undeniable melancholic aesthetic that disguises Araki’s sentimental journey. “Last by Leica” also marks the final episode of Araki’s Leica series, following “Life by Leica” in the 1980s and “Love by Leica” in 2000.

20 recent polaroids captured with a Polaroid 600 camera using The Impossible Project’s Black & Red 600 Duochrome film are also being exhibited at the same time. For Araki, unexposed images or even films with leakage can be regarded as an artistic awakening, like religious encounters. “Last by Leica” runs from now to June 30 at Over The Influence gallery in Central.

Over The Influence
1/F, 159-163 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong