Yoshitomo Nara is one of the most celebrated artists of his generation. His work is widely recognised for his bold, cartoonish, big-headed, big-eyed children’s figures, as fascinating as they are sometimes menacing, defiant and insolent, or melancholic and insecure, which have become increasingly serene and reflective over time. Although Nara did not gain immediate acceptance in the art world, his innovative graphic style is now fully established.
Nara’s characters – his figures, animals and hybrid beings – are a reflection of himself, a plastic representation of his innermost emotions and thoughts, and show the depth of his humanism. The sources of his creation are childhood memories – burned into his memory – his knowledge of music and literature, the history of Japanese and European art – enriched by his insatiable curiosity – as well as the stimulating, empathetic encounters he has had with people and cultures on his travels in Japan and abroad.
Known for his carefree attitude and free spirit, the artist has always had a passion for underground folk, rock and punk music. Deeply engaged with humanity and society, his work, committed to the world we share, examines and proposes ideas about issues such as home, community, nature, the environment and the interrelationships between these spheres.
Born in 1959 on the outskirts of Hirosaki in northern Japan, Nara studied painting at the Aichi University of Fine Arts. In the late 1980s he moved to Germany to attend the prestigious Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. He remained in Germany for twelve years, during which time he continued to develop his unique pictorial language. In 2000 he returned to Japan, where he continues to live and work today. His art is directly related to his own history and life experiences. At the heart of his work are the indelible memories of his childhood in Japan – especially the feeling of loneliness – and of his time abroad, with the usual impression of isolation that he experienced in Germany, as he did not speak the language of the country.
This retrospective is not organised chronologically, but Nara has structured it expressly by theme in order to reveal his personal and emotional keys to convey his raison d’être as an artist, as well as the ideas that interest him and are central to his creative process: recurrent issues, the development of his formal approach and the variety of techniques.
The exhibition immerses us in the suggestive “World of Nara” through a series of pieces spanning the last four decades. Original and persistent, Nara’s iconography illustrates well the continuity of thought he has maintained throughout his career and highlights his stylistic evolution. Although Nara considers himself primarily a painter, he explores each theme by also resorting to other media and formats, such as drawing, sculpture and installation.
Curated by Lucía Agirre and presented by the BBVA Foundation, the exhibition runs until 3 November 2024.
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