MORPHINE DOESN'T WORK IN MAY

A deeply personal and rhythmically constructed photobook, Morphine Doesn’t Work in May by Nobuyoshi Araki unfolds as an intimate visual diary shaped by time, repetition, and sequence.

Produced as a first edition, first impression, this volume gathers photographs taken throughout May 2004, arranged in strict chronological order. All images are presented in vertical orientation, creating a distinctive cadence that guides the viewer through Araki’s daily movements and shifting emotional states.

As noted by Araki in the “Photo Explanation” appendix, the vertical format becomes a compositional device in itself where meaning evolves through juxtaposition. The pairing of images across double-page spreads generates subtle narrative shifts, reinforcing his long-standing interest in photography as a fluid and associative medium.

The book opens and closes with images of his beloved cat Ciro on the balcony of his home, framing the sequence with a quiet sense of continuity. Between these moments, the photographs move through Tokyo, Kobuchizawa in Yamanashi Prefecture, work environments, bars, clubs, and scenes of travel blending the everyday with the introspective in a manner characteristic of Araki’s diaristic approach.

The publication is further distinguished by its refined production: an elaborately designed box by Suzuki Hijiri and title lettering by Minori Miyata, who later collaborated with Araki on Empty Words. These elements reinforce the book’s identity as both personal document and carefully conceived object.

A nuanced and collectible work that exemplifies Araki’s ability to transform lived experience into a continuous photographic narrative.

Edition: First Edition, First Impression
Language: Japanese
Format: Medium format hardcover (boxed)
Condition: Near fine condition. Minor shelf wear to boards and band; pages and spine clean and intact.