Yoshitomo Nara
Superflat, Pop Art, Ukiyo-e Japanese Woodblock Prints, Japanism
Born: 5 December 1959, Aomori, Japan
Nationality: Japanese

A central figure within contemporary Japanese art, Nara is associated with the rise of Superflat art; a term coined by Takashi Murakami to describe the art movement that blends a two-dimensional graphic design with the contemplative interests of fine art. Nara’s deceptively simple art uses cartoon-style imagery to express the conflict of childhood emotion and anxiety within a single figure. Nara’s children are typically shown in a mood of resistance and rebellion. The illustrative quality of his art, and also his nationality, has often associated Nara with the traditional Japanese manga and anime but his work draws on a wider range of influences from Western Punk Rock and fairy tales to Eastern religions and philosophies.

Superflat art, now considered a staple of postmodern art, is based on Japan’s post-World War 2 obsession with anime and manga comic books. Nara’s outward-looking worldview has promoted the reputation of Japanese Pop art in mainstream Western culture.

Punk music and the ethos of defiance and rebellion inspire many of Nara’s works. He took the traditional Japanese figure of Otafuku, a full-cheeked character with joyful eyes, turning her into a mischievous and brooding punk child. His work has been a vital part of overturning the international perception of Japan as an inflexible society dictated by ancient social conventions.

Nara’s work has been compared to that of Keith Haring in its cartoon-based approach, however, Nara employs more archetypal figures that play around more with the Japanese tradition of the kawaii (the concept of feeling empathy for feeble and helpless creatures). His work captivates the imagination of both serious art collectors and critics as well as the rebel youth culture who consume art through various sources of mass reproduction

Nara often incorporates words and phrases in his work in an attempt to reduce his art to a simple and single idea or concept. The use of words is intended to overcome ambiguity in Nara’s intent and enable the viewer to identify specifically with his point of view. Nara offers a more reductive way of viewing his art in a postmodern context where artists prefer meaning to remain ambiguous.

A direct result of the death of his father and the Fukushima earthquake, Nara’s mature works took on an existential focus. More introspective and philosophical he encouraged his audience to come to a higher level of consciousness through his art as in his Midnight sequence he brought a Buddhist sensibility to his work that invites the viewer to make comparisons with the transcendental aims of Mark Rothko.

The youngest of three children Nara grew up in a rural community near Hirosaki in the northern prefecture of Aomori. His father and grandfather were Shinto priests and, in his career, Nara drew inspiration from his own Shinto spiritual learning. Nara bought records by mail order, sharing the cost with his friends. At 16 he opened a café in his hometown and worked as a DJ. He was inspired not only by the ethos of rebellion in punk music but also by the visual culture of the music.

From a young age, Nara began creating, first sculpting forms out of clay and then experimenting with drawing. The artist recalls being keen to paint a live nude and at the disappointment when the chance arose and the model was an elderly woman.

Nara originally planned to study literature, however, after a friend praised one of his art pieces he opted to pursue the possibilities of a career as a painter. With financial backing from his parents, Nara moved from his hometown to Nagakuto to study at the Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1985 followed by a Master of Fine Arts two years later.

Nara lived in Germany from 1988 to 1993 undertaking a six-year apprenticeship at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under the German painter A.R. Penck. Nara developed an interest in Neo-Expressionism and Punk music during this time and earned a living teaching art to high school students. Nara adopted many of the emotionally charged idioms of German Neo-Expressionism including rough, expressive brushstrokes and bold use of colour combined with the use of heavy black outlines.

Despite his successful completion of his training, Nara was unsure about the value of a career in art. Nara moved to Köln, Germany, with a limited grasp of the German language and set up a studio. It was during this time he received his first important exposure with the drawing of promotional posters for the Swedish film “Lotta Leaves Home” (1993)

In the late 1990s a series of collaborative works, including a book project with novelist Banana Yoshimoto, a CD jacket for the punk band The Star Club, and the girl band Shonen Knife, propelled Nara into the public eye. However, he continued teaching as a visiting professor at the University of California. Nara returned to Japan in 2000 to solidify his career as a painter, taking over a two-storey warehouse in Tokyo. The open layout and high ceilings of the warehouse doubled as studio space and living space with Nara rarely cooking for himself and sitting at fast-food restaurants.

Nara became associated with the Superflat movement in 2001. The movement included artists such as Takashi Murakami and Chino Aoshima. Superflat, also known as Japanese Pop Art, was coined by Murakami to describe a style of postmodern Japanese art that displays a critical and ambivalent attitude towards pop culture and consumerism. Nara drew inspiration from the Otafuku and Okame theatrical masks, and the Edo period Ukiyo-e woodblock prints,

Nara was celebrating the completion of a gallery show in New York when flushed with alcoholic inspiration he drew a number of his signature punk figures directly onto the bar walls and signed and dated the work. The bar owners preserved the mural behind a plastic screen. The fact that the mural exists as a public artwork saw Nara connected with the artists Keith Harding and Jean-Michel Basquiat who also produced works on buildings.

Following the 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami which had a direct impact on the Aomori prefecture where he grew up, Nara felt depressed and that his art was meaningless. However, when the people who had been displaced from their homes by the disaster began returning and rebuilding their lives he was inspired to return to his creative activities. As part of the process, he visited the devastated area several times eventually taking up a residency at his alma mater, the Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music. In 2014 Nara started exploring his own roots, turning to photography to document his journey including pictures of abandoned mines once worked by his grandfather.

Nara currently works out of two studios, one in Germany and one in Japan. A seemingly private person, he keeps himself to himself and avoids personal interviews and social media which he sees as a distraction to his artwork.

Resources

Yoshitomo Nara by Yeewan Koon