ARAKI/TELLER: Brothers from Another Mother

The gruesome twosome exhibition ARAKI TELLER TELLER ARAKI at OstLicht Gallery in Vienna opens on Thursday. It brings together the works of two of the most attitude-driven photographers of our times, pairing their distinctive portrayals of physical ambivalence and intimate storytelling.

Nobuyoshi Araki (b. 1940) presents Last by Leica, a recent portfolio following up on his 1980s series Life by Leica and his 2000 series Love by Leica, a collection of female portraits and nudes. Last by Leica, which was produced using the last analog camera produced by the manufacturer, includes a self portrait of Araki following his recent stroke and loss of sight in his right eye. Also included are photographs from Araki’s series Paradis, depicting dolls and flowers.

In the exhibition, Juergen Teller (b. 1964) brings together photographs from both his commercial and personal work, including fashion campaigns for Vivienne Westwood, portraits of actors of Berlin’s Schaubühne, as well as an image of Araki himself. The exhibition also includes Teller’s series Irene im Wald (2012), depicting the thickets near his home town, accompanied by personal anecdotes and childhood memories. It’s an intimate portrait of the forest and the Teller family, as well as a love letter to his mother, Irene.

A catalog, designed jointly by Araki and Teller, accompanies the exhibition, and includes more than 300 photographs as well as texts by the two artists dedicated to each other.