EXHIBITED:
Setagaya Art Museum, Japan, February - March 1999
Walk On, Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, Walk On, March - June 2000
In In the Empty Fortress, Galerie Johnen & Schottle, Cologne, Germany March – April, 2000
Yoshitomo Nara: Lullaby Supermarket, Institute fur moderne Kunst, Nuremberg, Germany,
and Michael Zink Gallery, Munich, Germany, September - November 2002

LLLUSTRATED:
Yoshitomo Nara: Ukiyo, Tokyo, S. Goto, Japan, 1999
M. Rothenberger, ed., Yoshitomo Nara: Lullaby Supermarket, Nurnberg, Germany, 2002, color illustrated, pp. 14, 140-141 & 197
CREAM 3: Contemporary Art in Culture: 10 Curators, 100 Contemporary Artists, 10
Source Artists, London, U.K., 2003, p. 242 color illustrated
Not Afraid, Rubell Family Collection, Mark Coetzee, New York,U.S.A., 2004, p. 87 color illustrated

◎ An Encounter with Your Childhood

Last week, I was looking over an essay written by my daughter, who will be graduating from elementary school in 76 days’ time. In this “Letter to Myself 20 Years From Now,” she had written: “Hello, my 20-years-from-now self! How are you? Are you happy? Do you still remember the dreams you had when you were my age? Do you think I would like you as you are now? …” This kind of dialogue between the child self and the now self has always been the keystone of Yoshimoto Nara’s creative work. The large-headed children that Nara paints and sculpts, who may look naughty, angry, hurt, upset or innocent, are in fact Nara himself. Through this dialogue with childhood, Yoshimoto Nara (a contemporary artist who is very popular both with critics and with the general public) remains true to a promise that he made to himself years ago; Nara continues to go his own way, because in doing so he remains true to the young Nara that he was.

→ I DON’T MIND IF YOU FORGET ME
“Looking back, I think that what impelled me to make painting my career was nostalgia; it all relates to taking a trip back into childhood.” In “I don’t mind if you forget me,” the “you” is childhood, and it is not so much a case of me not caring about you forgetting me as that neither of us will ever forget the deep-rooted trust that exists between us. This is what Nara is striving to say to his past work, and at the same time it is also what his past work is saying to Nara. This applies not only to childhood, but also to the experience of growing up, to unforgettable memories from the past, and to people one meets over the course of one’s life. Throughout all of this, there has always been a sense of gratitude and a treasuring of childhood innocence.

→ NEVER FORGET YOUR BEGINNER’S SPIRIT!
“At the end of the day, everything is already there in your heart; this is something which it is very important to remember. All the things that you can learn when you are small, how you felt when you were studying, your curiosity, your desire to learn … and also the innocent feelings that you had for others. These are all not so much discoveries as rediscoveries.” You mustn’t let yourself be manipulated by reality, and you mustn’t allow yourself to be blinded by success. Nara once said: “A sense of satisfaction? That’s too base and pathetic for words! Stuff that!” As Nara sees it, the important thing is to live casually, and to paint casually, moving boldly onwards, and not allowing oneself to become lazy or self-satisfied. Make your feelings clear and transparent. Use all of your senses! Including your sixth sense! Don’t be afraid to make an effort that seems to be more than the present you is capable of!

→ IT’S ONLY CHEAP THINGS, BUT I LIKE IT.
“I just like it. There’s no why or wherefore to it.” When it comes to his art, Yoshimoto Nara has never known, and has never wanted to know, what “place” he occupies in the art world. As far as he’s concerned, when he feels motivated to create art, he creates it; it is as simple as that. Nara, who is as passionate about rock music as he is about art, always likes to listen to loud music when he is painting. “In art, you are always learning, and the same is true in rock music!” he says.

→ FUCK OFF THE DEFEATISTS! NEVER ENDING FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!
“Rather than trying to do things that are beyond you, the important thing is expend twice as much effort doing the things that you can do!”It’s important to focus on not becoming one of those small-minded people who are determined to be “winners.” In reality, when facing up to the future, all that matters is to be brave and do your best. As far as Yoshimoto Nara is concerned, life isn’t about winning or losing, it’s about working together with like-minded individuals to survive in this challenging era in which we live. “Pressure” and “self-consciousness” are really just reflections of the self. Given that this is the case, why resist the force that is acting on you? Just speed up, and power forwards towards your goal!

→ PAVE YOUR DREAMS, MAKE A ROAD!
“When you start to get old, if you just sit around doing nothing you will rot away inside. When faced with the passing of time, if you try to ignore it or escape from it, you will be lost. Think you are going to atrophy? Wait until you are dead and then you can atrophy!” The sleep-walking child isn’t really suffering from any kind of sleep disorder; it is just that he or she is always moving forward towards realizing their dreams, and does not forget this even when they are asleep. It is simple determination, and pure confidence. Yoshimoto Nara has commented that, even when you feel lost or worried, tomorrow will still come whether you like it or not. So why stop? If living is the road that leads to death, then surely there is no time to mope and be miserable, is there?

→ GOOD NIGHT BABY!
In a letter to Yoshimoto Nara, the artist Yayoi Kusuma told him that: “Whenever I am depressed, I look at your work, and then I gradually start to feel better; in the fantasy world that you create, I am able to relax …” Renowned artist Takashi Murakami is a close friend of Yoshimoto Nara, and also a passionate collector of Nara’s work. A journalist once asked Murakami: “Isn’t Nara’s work a little overpriced?” Laughing, Murakami replied: “Overpriced? Ha ha! No, it’s actually not expensive at all. Because you are buying a ‘time machine’!” Exactly! If you had the chance to reconnect with your childhood, would you worry about how much it cost? (Note: The English sub-titles in “all caps” are texts that have appeared in Yoshimoto Nara’s work over the years; see Nara’s published diary “Nara Note”)

Text by Chang Kuo-ch’uan