Yoshitomo Nara
Works for sale
Yoshitomo Nara, born in 1959 in Hirosaki, is a contemporary artist of Japanese pop art. He currently lives and works in Tokyo, although his works have been exhibited all over the world. Nara has completed his studies at the University of Arts and Music of Aichi Prefecture. Between 1988 and 1993, he studied in the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf, Germany and since 1984 he has had about 40 solo exhibitions. Subjects of his works are deceptively simple: most of the works represent figures seemingly harmless with cartoon traits, such as children and dogs drawn in pastel colors, which they actually hide disturbing traits. The Japanese comics and anime of his childhood over the years sixty were certainly influential in his stylized figures, an example are the eyes of children in to which the artist infuses an aura of horror. This contrast of human wickedness with the innocence of children it can be a reaction to strict Japanese social conventions.