"Picture books tell many stories with one picture, so this kind of system, narratives emerging from a single picture, has had a much stronger influence on my work, particularly my early work..."
Yoshitomo Nara is considered to be one of the most beloved Japanese artists of his generation. Born in Hirosaki, Japan in 1959 he is a pioneering figure in contemporary art. His signature style—which expresses children in a range of emotional complexities from resistance and rebellion to quietude and contemplation—celebrates the introspective freedom of the imagination and the individual.
Yoshitomo Nara’s deceptively simple paintings, sculptures, and drawings draw on the pop culture aesthetics of manga, Walt Disney cartoons, and punk rock. The artist populates his work with alternately adorable and sinister child characters, who run amok in flat backgrounds rendered with simple bold lines and solid hues. Nara explores imagination and the individual, and his more complex canvases consider the intersection of figure and ground.
Though Nara claims to have never said that he was influenced by manga, the imagery of manga and anime of his 1960s childhood is often cited when discussing Nara's stylised, large-eyed figures. Nara subverts these images, however, by infusing his works with horror-like imagery. This juxtaposition of human evil with the innocent child may be a reaction to Japan's rigid social conventions.
We are thrilled to have a beautiful and rare multiple by Yoshitomo Nara in our collection. The Little Wanderer (2003) is an extension of Nara's Little Pilgrim works. A charming fantastical character that leisurely strolls about meandering here and there with a simple mechanism. Produced by Cerealart - in its original package. Check it out, here.