Fièvres nocturnes – Toshio Saeki

Fièvres nocturnes – Toshio Saeki – (192 pages, English/French/Japanese, hardcover, published by Éditions Cornélius)

The grotesque erotic prints by the Japanese artist Toshio Saeki (1945-2019) are an acquired taste. And although his work is controversial and often sparks discussion and censorship, the artist began to gain recognition in Japan and far beyond as early as the 1970s. His work has appeared on the cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's album 'Some Time in New York City'.

Saeki's work is categorized as 'Ero Guro', a genre in which the themes of eroticism, death and horror come together and that originated in Japan just after the Second World War. In addition, the work also has many similarities with 'Shunga', Japanese erotic prints from the Edo period (1600-1868). Elements of Japanese folklore also play a role, as we regularly see (Shinto) spirits, Oni (demons) and other Yōkai in the prints.

The reclusive Toshio Saeki saw himself more as an entertainer and drew a lot of inspiration from Samurai and Yakuza B-movies. In these films, the overly violent and gory scenes are a form of entertainment and laughable rather than terrifying. The kind of stylized violence that can also be found in the films of Quentin Tarantino, for example.

The collection 'Fièvres nocturnes' contains illustrations from the period 1972 to 1974, which were previously published in the magazine SM Selecto.