The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has banned one of three advertisements for the Italian mosaic tile company Bisazza shot by Nobuyoshi Araki on the grounds that “the ad had caused serious offence to some readers”.
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Last reply was October 17, 2009
Is this just another ploy to hoodwink his gullible admirers?
Tying up women in kimonos is Araki’s schtick. It gives a pleasing frisson to the critics, maybe it gives a boner to some fans, and it definitely pays the bills. If some flooring company wants to pay him a bonus for doing what he and his assistants can easily churn out, why shouldn’t Araki do it?
As for the flooring company, it gets to be discussed, rather as a computer company gets discussed if people tip off their chums to a youtube showing a man catching their computers with his bum. People have short memories and thus the world won’t immediately yawn “They’re just doing a Benetton”. If there are complaints, the company just points to the fact that Araki is internationally exhibited etc etc. It’s cynical of the flooring company, but if the company weren’t cynically doing this for its ads it would be cynically doing something else. Isn’t advertising wonderful!
Perhaps rotating the image 90 degrees so that she appeared to be standing or sitting would make it more acceptable. The model would then look merely sad instead of in distress.