Yoshitomo Nara and the Subconscious

The artist explores the deepest and inherent feelings of human nature in the form of art. Reflecting on his lonely childhood, Nara establishes a tempting and enigmatic invitation for viewers to experience his art through the innocent eyes of his characters, who create a parallel between freedom, rebellion, resistance, and solitude.

A childhood shaped by solitude

In various moments of his childhood, Nara felt alone for a long time. Born in Japan on December 5, 1959, in the city of Hirosaki, the youngest brother among three older siblings, with parents who worked hard and spent little time at home, Nara felt lonely and struggled to verbalize his feelings, facing difficulties interacting with people. The artist found his comfort in this solitude by spending time with animals - with whom he felt freer to talk - pop culture, mangas, and music, especially rock and punk that he listened to on the radio, which became one of his main references.

The subconscious response as an artistic form

Each work of Yoshitomo becomes an irresistible invitation to delve into the often-repressed feelings of the artist. Within each painting, he provides us with an immersion into solitude, rebellion, and resistance, reflecting his lonely childhood, explored through colors and provocative gazes belonging to the faces of the children he draws. Nara has a very characteristic style: they are the so-called