Emi Anrakuji is a Japanese photographer obsessed with the human body in its most intimate form who, after long periods of hospitalization due to a brain tumor, slowed her creativity for more than a decade.

This photographic series is a reflection of that time.

 

It is the result  of long periods of hospitalization. After graduating from art school in Tokyo in the 1980s, Anrakuji suffered a brain tumor that prevented him from developing his creativity for more than a decade. For long periods of time he had to be convalescing in bed. This photographic series is a reflection of that time.

 

The constant use of her own naked body has caused some to describe Emi Anrakuji's photography as erotic, however the artist insists that it is the opposite, the artist insists on the contrary. These interpretations demonstrate a tendency to position the naked body of the woman as a sexual object, reflecting an internalized androcentric drift. There is also in Emi a certain inclination to simplify problems of sexuality and gender in close-ups of works of art made by women. For this reason, the lack of representation of women in androcentric photographic stories is sorely missed, despite the fact that photography compared to other media,  has historically been more accessible to women. . According to Anrakuji, when interpreting non-Western photography, a series of problems arise from the lack of knowledge of this expression at present. Depictions of Japanese art are criticized for using exoticism and decontextualization. To address these issues, we present “1800 millimeters is the size of my bed” which reflects Anrakuji's complex identity. Faced with these misinterpretations of her work, Anrakuji strategically deconstructs gender and sexuality, using them to delve into deeper  issues dealing with human identity and existence. At the same time, problems arise in interpreting non-Western photography; Due to the lack of knowledge of this photographic expression at present, Anrakuji considers that the representations of Japanese art are criticized for using exoticism and decontextualization. To  address these issues, we present this work that reflects  Anrakuji's complex identity in his most recent series “1800 millimeters is the size of my bed”. Faced with these misinterpretations of her work, Anrakuji strategically deconstructs gender and sexuality, using them to delve into deeper issues dealing with human identity and existence.

 Through the objectification of the human body in continuous images, Anrakuji embodies various dualities related to gender, sexuality and humanity. His work deliberately subverts  social rules, forcing the viewer to confront the socio-historical specificity of stereotypes attributed to the human body. This analysis not only allows a more precise understanding of Anrakuji's work (which reflects broader visions in the exploration of contemporary Japanese photography), but  also aspires to know and share _cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_photographs of non-western women with similar context analysis.