In Nara’s paintings, children stand in as angry innocents raging against an oppressive world of adults.
Yoshitomo Nara
Posted inArt
Yoshitomo Nara Reflects on His Major LACMA Retrospective
The exhibition gathers a whopping 800 artworks and focuses on the deep influence of music on the popular Japanese artist.
Posted inArt
Some NY Events You Should Know About
Here are some events you may want to check out this weekend or in the coming week, including a video art festival on Staten Is, unfinished films at Gladstone, Carolee Schneemann bookreading, dance series, Japanese art.
Posted inArt
Japan Society’s Goodbye to Hello Kitty
Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Japanese Art at Japan Society presents an alternative view of Japanese contemporary art, one separate from that obsession we seem to have with “kawaii” (cute) Japanese art, embodied by the pop culture icon of Hello Kitty, and exemplified in the Superflat work of Takashi Murakami. The artists on display here engage with a different side of Japanese culture, a side more invested in history, medium and prolonged looking. The exhibition is also a rousing, energetic call to action– rethink Japanese contemporary art!
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The Alternative Holiday Gift Guide
You know you’re going to spend money this holiday season even if it’s only a gift or two for friends, family or that special someone. So, why not spending money in a way that supports emerging galleries, craftspeople, artists, charities, or quality small businesses that are trying to do something different.
Here is our short guide to some ideas for creative and affordable gifts.
Posted inOpinion
Two Mixtapes By Yoshitomo Nara, For You
One of the most fun parts of Asia Society’s Yoshitomo Nara retrospective is that the galleries are soundtracked: the artist’s paintings, drawings and sculptures are accompanied by a selection of handpicked tunes. Music more than anything else drives Nara’s work, from the rebellion of punk to the navel-gazing of blues singer-songwriters. Below, find the exhibition’s two playlists.
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Yoshitomo Nara Rocks Out At Asia Society
Yoshitomo Nara’s retrospective Nobody’s Fool at Asia Society is what you would get if art museums loosened up and let themselves have some fun. After climbing the institution’s glassy modern stairs, what greets visitors isn’t a succession of white-walled galleries but a mishmash of wood-walled cubbies and tiny chambers that force participants to kneel down and greet Nara’s drawings, paintings and sculptures on their own terms: close to the floor, like a child exploring a new world. And that’s what Nara’s work is all about: a journey through a world influenced by childhood, small emotions writ large and wonder in hidden corners.
Posted inArt
WTF is… Superflat?
You may have heard the term “Superflat” tossed around in relation to some paintings reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons on crack, or maybe a series of drawings that look familiar, but with an extra dash of foreign, outer-space weirdness. You’ve probably heard of “kawaii” culture or maybe even Kaikai-Kiki. And if you haven’t? Fear not, because we’re going to go through all this vocab together to marshal what exactly Superflat is.
