CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS

Yoshitomo Nara

b. 1959

Influenced by elements of popular culture such as anime, manga, Walt Disney cartoons, and punk rock, Yoshitomo Nara creates paintings, sculptures, and drawings of adorable-yet-sinister childlike characters.

Painted with simple bold lines, primary colors, and set against empty backgrounds, these small children and animals often share the canvas with text, knives, and plants, among other recurring elements. Nara’s work expresses the struggle to find an identity fractured by war, rapid modernization, and an omnipresent visual culture.