You may not have heard of Yoshitomo Nara
But you must have seen this little girl
Holding a blade, not smiling, a bad look
Look, you me!
Yoshitomo Nara painted the evil child for 30 years
He was named after Yayoi Kusama and Takashi Murakami
Become one of the "Three Musketeers of Japanese Contemporary Art"
( That's right... Yoshitomo Nara is not a woman, but an uncle in his sixties)
In the painting, there is always oblique eyes, and the face is written rebellious
But who was the broken child who made him famous?
Xiao Ha felt that it was actually the uncle himself who did not want to grow up
Childhood, because the town where I lived had too long winters
Unable to go out, he could only nestle in his room
One immerses oneself in the world of painting
When he grew up, he was quiet and shy
The style is very "willful" like the child in his painting.
Other people went to college for 4 years, he read for 7 years...
The first "wayward"
I was admitted to the sculpture department in the college entrance examination, but I didn't want to study it
So he worked part-time as a construction worker
In a dilapidated and cramped room, listen to your favorite rock 'n' roll
So willfully began the road of re-examination
The Second "Waywardness"
I was finally admitted to the Art University that I had in mind
But after a year of college, he decided to travel around Europe
The Third "Willfulness"
In the foreign travel, I met many like-minded people,
The harvest is very rewarding, and you can return to Japan
Only to find out that there is no tuition fee for continuing to study in college!
The boat to the bridge is naturally straight, Nara is willful again...
At the University of Nagoya with lower tuition fees
Yoshitomo Nara is a freshman again
(Hey, at that time, the students in the sculpture department were about to graduate)
The days when resources were scarce
Every day he invites the boys to get together to watch a cartoon
The Girl Who Traveled Through Time
At the end of the semester, he traveled again to the European Rim
But this time there is no need to retake the exam... Well, tuition is cheap
After graduation, he worked part-time at an art cram school
Can be lectured between idealism and their own actual creations
There is a huge gap
The Fourth "Waywardness"
Look into the students' sincere eyes
He decided that he must put his ideals of art into practice
Carrying all the painting materials on his back, he began his study abroad career in Germany
At this point, he was 29 years old
Looks still one... not... place... Yes
In Germany, because he can't express art in words, he can only immerse himself in the world of one person, talk to himself, and at the age of 30, he seems to have returned to the snow hut of his childhood, and found his original freedom and loneliness.
Loneliness and sadness are the soil that produces works of art
This is defined as a period of "loneliness"
That innocent and evil face was born
“
Loneliness and alienation are the driving force behind my creations
”
Xiao Ha can't help but think of the movie "Frank"
The talented Frank who never wanted to take off his hood
Live a life of isolation but self-enjoyment
Compared to Frank, who has never been recognized by the public
Yoshitomo Nara is lucky not to be deliberately pandered to
Just graduated, unique works
It attracted a number of galleries who wanted to sign with him
At the age of 35, he finally began his career as a professional artist
At the age of 41, he returned to Japan
At this time, the eyes of the little girl in his work
Begins to change from sharp to calm and soft
That cynical rebellious kid
Even sometimes you can safely close your eyes
Try to reconcile with the world
Today, he is one of the most famous contemporary arts in Japan
There is no superb technique, but the simplicity and purity of the work
Touched the softest and most sensitive place in people's hearts
People look at the cynical little girl
Say "I understand her" "She is me"
He is now 58 years old, but no matter how big the exhibition
Inside there will be a small wooden house
The walls were plastered with his graffiti
Let the audience peek through the window into the cabin
Going around, how many cities have you traveled, how many rooms you have lived in
He eventually returned to the "cottage of his childhood."
Guard the sincere, unrestrained child in your heart
I felt like a tunnel worker
I've been digging one that hasn't seen the end yet
Walk back to the tunnel of my childhood
Yoshitomo Nara has always guarded the cottage of his childhood with his works.
Have you found the hut you want to guard?
Reality is like a stone, and spirit is like an egg
Although the stone is hard, the egg is life
The large-scale solo exhibition "Yoshitomo Nara" also landed at the Yuz Museum of Art in Shanghai on March 5. But because of the epidemic, the pause button was pressed. As we wait for the exhibition to resume, we might as well open Yoshitomo Nara: Beginnings in an Empty World, a book that records most of his life. Those about music, painting, sculpture, travel...
In the preface he also writes:
I never used painting as a means of making a living, nor did I see it as my profession. Yes, embarking on this path of continuous creation is not a career choice for me, but a way of life. My life has always been accompanied by the desire for freedom and praise.
After reading this, I can know a little more about him, that is good!