Born in 1984, Japanese artist, lives and works in Nasushiobara

Yoshitomo Nara

“They say human eyes are the mirror of the soul, and I used to draw them too carelessly. Say, to express the anger, I just drew some triangular eyes. I drew obviously-angry eyes, projected my anger there, and somehow released my pent-up emotions. About ten years ago, however, I became more interested in expressing complex feelings in a more complex way. I began to stop and think, to take a breath before letting everything out.”

“ Anything with human form will resemble someone you know.”

“They all reflect our darker side.”

“I care now for the core of the work.”

contemporary art

"Now I see myself in relation to my paintings as a creator and part of the audience at the same time. I used to work as both a painter and 'the' only member of the audience, in a kind of one-to-one manner."

Yoshitomo Nara

“I always keep my studio the same. No matter whether I am in Germany or in Nasu, where my current studio is located, my studio's interior settings are always arranged in the same way - so I only find out where I am [in the world] when I open the curtain.”

“I used to draw [eyes] too carelessly. Say, to express the anger, I just drew some triangular eyes. I drew obviously-angry eyes, projected my anger there, and somehow released my pent-up emotions. About ten years ago, however, I became more interested in expressing complex feelings in a more complex way.”

2014_HGK_03307_0057_000(yoshitomo_nara_one_foot_in_the_groove092139)