Created By
Reka Nyari
Archival Pigment Prints on Acid Free Paper. Edition 3/3 + 2 AP
Curator
Luke Chapman
Reka Nyari's "Madame Butterfly" encapsulates a mesmerizing fusion of traditional Japanese iconography and contemporary rebellion, where the intricate tattoos adorning Ginzilla's body serve as both armor and autobiography. Nyari skillfully navigates the delicate balance between vulnerability and strength, inviting viewers to unravel the layers of symbolism embedded within each inked motif. Through a masterful interplay of light and shadow, Nyari imbues the composition with a sense of theatricality, transforming the subject into a living canvas that challenges societal norms and redefines notions of femininity and power. "Madame Butterfly" emerges as a captivating visual narrative that transcends mere aesthetics, delving deep into the complexities of identity, agency, and the enduring allure of self-expression.
Ginzilla’s Story Our depicted heroine, Ginzilla, was born into a traditional Japanese family of uncompromisingly strict conservative-values. The effect was suffocating to her wild heart, engendering acts of rebellion perhaps most visible as the arresting marks of defiance, written in permanent-ink on the canvas of her body. These images tell the story of her life; illustrations of tigers, wolves, and dragons contrast societal expectations of female submission and obedience. Ginzilla’s first lover was a tattoo artist, a predilection which has guided her sexual journey. All of her body-art was composed and executed by lovers, compounding its personal meaning to her,while providing a veritable map of her life. Edgy, raw, and resilient, Nyari depicts her subject as a woman whose sexuality is defined independent of a man. These dynamic photographs re-envision traditional concepts of femininity by juxtaposing the symbolism of the Japanese ‘Geisha’ with that of Yakuski (Japanese gangster) tattoos (Irezumju). Irezumju tattoos require a painful, meticulous method of manually inserting needles into the skin. Associated with the criminal activity of the Yakuski gangs, members would brand themselves with Irezumi tattoos. Due to its painful process, Irezumju is considered a mark of the recipient’s bravery, and evidence of their insubordination. Despite the widening trend of tattoos among non-yakuza, they still carry a significant stigma in Japanese society. In presenting her work as exquisitely crafted, large-scale photographs, Nyari elevates her model to that of Goddess, or perhaps, the Virgin Mary, subverting concepts of purity and sexuality, religion and sin. She is presented for the viewer’s meditative contemplation as a symbol of strength, defiance, and unapologetic female desire; her body on-display for worship, the tattoos adorning it, as ifprayer beads of a rosary. GEISHA INK tells the intoxicating story of Ginzilla, revealing and subverting female archetypes through a visual exploration of sexuality, taboos, eroticism and culture.
Created By
Reka Nyari
160 x 127 cm | 63 x 50 in
Wooden box frame with 3" white border
