When I visited the LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) back in June of 2021, I recall a few exhibits that stood out to me, and Yoshitomo Nara’s was one of them.
Yoshitomo Nara is a Japanese contemporary artist born in 1959 who creates art pieces featuring children expressing a range of emotions—everything from resistance to rebellion to contemplation—to convey the introspective freedom of the individual. His artwork covers his own personal encounters with his raw self and explores a wide range of sources for inspiration, such as childhood memories, music, and his cultural roots.
Though the exhibition was only showcased up to January 2nd, 2022, here are a few of my favorite pieces that I saw that day.
2 Comments
Katy He · March 29, 2022 at 11:35 pm
I have also seen the show while visiting LA during winter break and it is a really amazing experience seeing those pieces because they might appears cute but they are actually massive in real life. I actually found it really interesting how Yoshitomo uses the imagery of small kids to express some very depressing topics like war and sense of isolation in the modern society. I think it is the childish nature of the imagery makes hard topics like such much more approachable and could get people to discuss some of those topics.
Shu Lin · March 31, 2022 at 11:06 pm
I actually saw these pieces in person when I visited LA in the summer. They attracted my eyes so much because of the way Yoshimoto uses color in these paintings of kids. There are no defined lines, but more of a blend of color and depth. Everything is mellow but the topic he is depicting are much more depressing and deep. It is as if he is trying to see the world through a child’s eye but also showing the world these heavy topics through the painting of a child.
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