hajime kinoko

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Hajime Kinoko, moto2, 2021, Tokyo

photography and interview

by OLIVIER ZAHM

 

Hajime Kinoko belongs to a generation of artists who are reimagining shibari, transforming it from an underground fetish practice into a new art form. His performances expand the boundaries of the craft, tying up people, objects, and even buildings. For Kinoko, anything and anyone can be tied up into a living sculpture.

 

OLIVIER ZAHM — When did you start doing shibari?

HAJIME KINOKO — I started when I was 21, so I’ve been doing it for 26 years. In Japan, it’s called kinbaku, which means “tight binding,” or kinbaku-bi, meaning “the beauty of tight binding.” But the term shibari for artistic and erotic bondage is interchangeable with the word kinbaku.

OLIVIER ZAHM — How did you master this rigorous technique?

HAJIME KINOKO — When I was 21, I met my girlfriend, a very…