About Yoshitomo Nara

Yoshitomo Nara is a prominent Japanese artist. Raised in the rural area of ​​Aomori Prefecture, Nara spent much of his time alone due to working parents. This lonely childhood has strongly influenced his artistic imagination. Nara’s work is often associated with Japanese pop culture, particularly manga and anime, although he himself claims not to be directly influenced by manga.

In recent years, Nara’s work has taken a more meditative turn. In a 2017 interview, he stated: ‘In the past, I had a sculpture I wanted to create, and I just did it. Now I take my time and work slowly, building up all these layers to find the best way.’ Six sculptures by Nara are on display at ARTZUID. They are disproportionate, white heads with different faces. In this series, he experiments with the deconstruction of his iconic child figure, resulting in unusual forms that embrace imperfection and idiosyncrasy.