Murata makes monochrome photographs and then hand paints them. Each group of 5-10 images tells one of his own fantastical erotic stories:
“There are two strong lines in the stories. In both, a girl is caught and ravaged by a demon. In one version she resists strongly, in the other she assimilates or gets used to what happens to her. The mutated world and the demon represent either death or the model’s own personal troubles”.
Murata experienced a fear of death when he was 10 years old, followed by an illness that kept him bedridden in his late 20’s for almost 10 years. It was through creating his sexually vibrant stories that he finally found the power to escape from his bed.
He credits his influences to Moliner, Witkin, Lonesco, Saudek, Sarah Moon, and Araki.
All images © Ken-ichi Murata