Yoshitomo Nara

Galerie Michael Zink, Regensburg
Private Collection, Asia

Cologne, Johnen + Schöttle, Karen Kilimnik and Yoshitomo Nara, 1996

Yoshitomo Nara, Yoshitomo Nara: The Complete Works: Paintings, Sculptures, Editions, Photographs, Vol. 1, Tokyo, 2011, cat. no. P-1993-020, p. 87, illustrated in color

This work is in excellent condition overall. Under Ultraviolet light inspection, certain pigments as well as light surface dust fluorescence, but there is no evidence of restoration. Framed.
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“When I started to look back on my childhood and really focusing on that time, I think that what I got out of picture books I really carried with me through my life and that’s a very strong element.  And so I think some people might look at [my work] and project an idea about manga and its influence, but for me I work very hard to make sure that my art does not produce a superficial image, that there is much more depth to it, so that’s something I would like people to see.”
Yoshitomo Nara

 

Celebrated for his imagery of universal themes such as youth and childhood, artist Yoshitomo Nara has created one of the most impressive and prolific careers among Japanese artists today as he charged to the forefront of the art scene on both a national and international level. With most of his works focusing on the characterization of the rebellious youth or of the lonely child, the artist once expressed: “We should rediscover art that exists in what we think of as subculture. It’s strong and real anywhere you bring it because it’s directly born of the everyday folks rather than of tradition.” Painted in 1993, A Little Kamikaze is truly an iconic work that represents the artist’s attempt to search beyond the realm of the conscious mind, unraveling the subtle desire of trotting through childhood memories and defiantly shattering the rigid boundaries set within contemporary society.

Among Nara’s paintings related to Japanese youth culture, the image of the young child has transformed and aged over the years, subtly corresponding to the artist’s changing mindscape. While Nara’s style later matured into a softer approach in the late 1990s and early 2000s, earlier works from the early 1990s often carry a threatening, violent undertone representative of adolescent rebellion and are usually defined by strong outlines as well as playful props such as toys or lamps. As seen in the present painting, a child sits happily in what looks to be a bomber plane reminiscent of WWII. Against a flat backdrop, the focus of the composition is on the innocence of the child juxtaposed against the ominous symbol and painful memory of Japan’s recent history. The title itself points directly to the suicide bombers from Japan during WWII. While the theme of war and its consequent depictions no doubt play a significant role in Nara’s childhood memories, the predominant focus of Nara’s art often focuses on the spiritual complexity of adolescent youth in Japan. In many of the artist’s most beloved and iconic works, portraits of youth are often laced with both a layer of playful naiveté and an inner angst and rebellion. While cartoon-like, the sentimentality of Nara’s paintings makes them undeniable and irresistible in their perfect rendition of youthful spirituality.

Born in Hirosaki, a city in the Aomori Prefecture hours away from Tokyo, Nara is frequently associated with Takashi Murakami and the Superflat movement in the 1990s. The artist obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts from the Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music before attending Kunstakademie Duesseldorf in Germany in 1988. While Nara has worked alongside contemporaries in both the East and West, he has emphasized the importance of individual experience and personal sentiments in his artistic practice rather than strictly following art historical theories. As the artist commented in an interview in 2012, “Overseas, everyone started to read the work within the context of Murakami’s Superflat theory. In a way, they can be explained with that, so that’s fine, but for me they were much more personal. All the children and animals depicted came from inside me, not from a theory” (Edan Corkill, “Yoshitomo Nara Puts the Heart Back in Art," The Japan Times, 2012). This articulation of the artist’s own emotional disposition has not only contributed to the immense popularity of the iconic solitary child, but also created a unique resonance with the masses.