When Yoshitomo Nara was studying in Germany, the painter A.R. Penk, who was his teacher, called Nara's work "angelic". In the portrayal of children Nara continues to draw we feel, the purity and cruelty due to innocence. And Nara seems to accept wholeheartedly the mercilessness. It could be said that the portraits of children, that we couldn't resist to overlap our childhood, are painted in the tradition of modern painting. The drawings that Nara jots down as if writing a diary on the other hand, are more like photographic printing of vivid emotions he feels in daily life along with phrases from rock music that resembles his muttering. YNG (short for Yoshitomo Nara and design group graf's collaborative unit) has been recreating the artist's studio since 2003 in order to share the original warmth of a place where these works are created.
Concept:
In this show, ceramic sculptures will be shown mainly. They were created during Nara's stay with the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Shigaraki since last February. This has been a new development by the artist who worked with wood and FRP in the past. This show will be his debut using ceramics, after more than a year's training. There will be large and small sculptural works, in combination with some drawings.
About the Artist:
Yoshitomo Nara was born in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture in 1959. He gained M.A. from Aichi Pretectural University of Art in 1987. He then learnt in Germany and graduated from Kunstakademie Dusseldorf in 1993. He lives in works in Tochigi Prefecture since 2005. This will be his fifth show with Tomio Koyama Gallery, since "new drawings" exhibition in 2003. His selected solo shows include "I don't mind, if you forget me" which traveled from Yokohama Museum of Art in 2001 onto various museums in Japan. "Nothing Ever Happens" traveled from Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, Ohio in 2003 onto various museums in the US. "From the Depth of My Drawer" traveled from Hara Museum, Tokyo onto various sites in Japan, then to Seoul Korea. "Yoshitomo Nara+graf A to Z" in Yoshii Brick Brewhouse, Hirosaki in 2006. "Moonlight Serenade" in 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Ishikawa Pref. "Yoshitomo Nara+graf" in BALTIC Center for Contemporary Art, New Castle, UK. His recent participation in group show is "Garden of painting - Japanese Art of the 00's" the National Museum of Art, Osaka in 2010. And in 2009, "The 6th Asia Pacific Triennale of Contemporay Art" Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, Australia.
