PRINTPROVENANCE:
Private collection, Asia
ILLUSTRATED:
Yoshitomo Nara: The Complete Works Volume 2, Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, 2011, color illustrated, no. D-2009-021, p. 295
Catalogue Note:
Yoshitomo NARA One of the brightest stars of the international contemporary art scene, Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara possesses an artistic language that conveys not only murmured musings of self-reflection, but also the spirit of his generation and nostalgia for the objects of the past. And yet his art is closely connected with the subcultures of those past times, and even subcultures that exist today, from “cartoon and comic book culture” to “otaku culture.” Japanese popular art has become a major part of today’s society, gradually expanding and becoming part of mainstream art consumption; it has spread out from Japan to Taiwan, China, and the rest of Asia, as well as to the Americas and Europe, and indeed the whole world. Nara’s almost illustrative style is gradually becoming both fad and focal point for contemporary art. This kind of artistic expression shatters the world’s strict aesthetic standards. What was once merely a part of the Japanese subculture aesthetic is now a focal point for curators worldwide, one that is redefining and displaying a different side of “art.” His art has changed, from catering to the masses to being showcased in art galleries, museums, and important private collections. Such a transition, from niche collector pieces to collections prized by the world, has allowed Nara to step outside of Aichi Providence, even outside of Japan and Asia, and onto the world stage, where he has become an international artist.
Nara’s works are often portraits of children exuding attitudes of mockery, resistance, a spirit of rebellion, or disdain for the world and its baseness. And although these children’s portraits feature strange, flippant, or pitiful looks, their appearances revolve around a strong self-awareness, a self shrouded in loneliness. “Untitled”created in 2009, In the painting, the little girl with mushroomheaded and big eyes who seems wish to speak out but doesn’t on a second thought. These wicked-ish looks somehow are actually self-reflections of an uneasy, emotionally turbulent childhood. Nara has stated, “All of my works are actually self-portraits; they are basically conversations with myself. As for the source of these paintings, what emerges are memories from my childhood as I retrace these dialogues.” These real-life feelings of loneliness and detachment also reflect the indifferent present in Japan’s cities and the “otaku” way of life. He depicts these lonely figures as reflection to his inner soliloquy, which just so happen to echo the dilemma of that generation and the confusion of their souls. Like many self-portraits, Nara’s paintings betray an uncompromising spirit and a strong defiance of the outside world. They are pictures of those who have been lost and lonely. While the artist contends with the world by pursuing his true inner self through art, he also communicates with the world, exhibiting the energy of his
existence through art, and soothing the wounds of the lonely.
Private collection, Asia
ILLUSTRATED:
Yoshitomo Nara: The Complete Works Volume 2, Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, 2011, color illustrated, no. D-2009-021, p. 295
Catalogue Note:
Yoshitomo NARA One of the brightest stars of the international contemporary art scene, Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara possesses an artistic language that conveys not only murmured musings of self-reflection, but also the spirit of his generation and nostalgia for the objects of the past. And yet his art is closely connected with the subcultures of those past times, and even subcultures that exist today, from “cartoon and comic book culture” to “otaku culture.” Japanese popular art has become a major part of today’s society, gradually expanding and becoming part of mainstream art consumption; it has spread out from Japan to Taiwan, China, and the rest of Asia, as well as to the Americas and Europe, and indeed the whole world. Nara’s almost illustrative style is gradually becoming both fad and focal point for contemporary art. This kind of artistic expression shatters the world’s strict aesthetic standards. What was once merely a part of the Japanese subculture aesthetic is now a focal point for curators worldwide, one that is redefining and displaying a different side of “art.” His art has changed, from catering to the masses to being showcased in art galleries, museums, and important private collections. Such a transition, from niche collector pieces to collections prized by the world, has allowed Nara to step outside of Aichi Providence, even outside of Japan and Asia, and onto the world stage, where he has become an international artist.
Nara’s works are often portraits of children exuding attitudes of mockery, resistance, a spirit of rebellion, or disdain for the world and its baseness. And although these children’s portraits feature strange, flippant, or pitiful looks, their appearances revolve around a strong self-awareness, a self shrouded in loneliness. “Untitled”created in 2009, In the painting, the little girl with mushroomheaded and big eyes who seems wish to speak out but doesn’t on a second thought. These wicked-ish looks somehow are actually self-reflections of an uneasy, emotionally turbulent childhood. Nara has stated, “All of my works are actually self-portraits; they are basically conversations with myself. As for the source of these paintings, what emerges are memories from my childhood as I retrace these dialogues.” These real-life feelings of loneliness and detachment also reflect the indifferent present in Japan’s cities and the “otaku” way of life. He depicts these lonely figures as reflection to his inner soliloquy, which just so happen to echo the dilemma of that generation and the confusion of their souls. Like many self-portraits, Nara’s paintings betray an uncompromising spirit and a strong defiance of the outside world. They are pictures of those who have been lost and lonely. While the artist contends with the world by pursuing his true inner self through art, he also communicates with the world, exhibiting the energy of his
existence through art, and soothing the wounds of the lonely.