Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Italian tiles sold with Geisha bondage, of course.


(click ads) It's another kinbaku kontroversy! England's sometimes puritanical Advertising Standards Authority has banned the ad (which ran in Wallpaper, among other pubs) above at left for Bisazza tiles, claiming it "...could be seen to imply that sexual violence had taken place or was about to take place." Note the hiked up kimono, also. At least she's not sporting cameltoe. The ads were shot by "renowned Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, " according to Bisazza. So. Levelheaded decision? Or PC police action? For once, you tell me (Thanks to Imogen for the tip! Images via).

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

i'm usually not siding with the pc squad but i gotta say those ads do look pretty rape-y to me.

12:59 PM  
Anonymous -1-track-mind- said...

It's all very 'Rashomon-esque'.

As an aside, if you split BISAZZA:
Bis - once more, encore
Azza - battle-axe

3:57 PM  
Anonymous Shell Shocked said...

Was PETA responsible for the ban?

The perceived violence appears in the background of the second image, where a Japanese Dragon seems to be raping a Turtle.

4:25 PM  
Anonymous mrjohn said...

Maybe she is having a night on the tiles.

12:53 AM  
Anonymous Lost & Found said...

IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!!!

NOBUYOSHI ARAKI, one of Japan's most provocative, and sought-after, photographers, has created the new 2009 advertising campaign for Bisazza that debuts internationally from April across Europe, USA and Australia.

Expressing Araki's original and highly recognised style, the provocative yet iconic campaign represents Araki's personal interpretation of the Bisazza brand.

As usual, the central protagonist of Araki's shots is an oriental woman, most often tied as per the ancient art of Japanese bondage or kinbaku. Her look (glance), with its strong evocative force, involves the observer into an emotional reflection.

http://www.bisazza.com/usa/index.html

Japanese erotic bondage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_bondage

Nobuyoshi Araki
http://www.artnet.com/artist/1592/nobuyoshi-araki.html#

10:52 AM  
Anonymous mrjohn said...

Araki used to work for Dentsu way back, so he is no stranger to ad land.

He belongs to the Japanese generation of student subversives of the 60s, so one interpretation of his photography is it is a continuance of this challenging of what is acceptable. However he is now more or less part of the landscape.

I guess the consistent theme in his work is realism, the models aren't retouched identikit idols, they look like real people. If he was commissioned to do a shoot it's a forgone conclusion that something hairy will threaten to emerge.

Rumour has it he has a private collection of very good landscape photography he has taken which he never shows in public.

12:19 PM  

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