Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara was born in 1959 and works from Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Since 1984, Nara’s work has been exhibited in close to 40 solo shows, and his pieces have been presented at major museums including the MoMA in Manhattan, New York, and Los Angeles’ LACMA. Nara’s style is widely known for his renderings and illustrations of big-headed girls, who typically feature intense eye expressions.
Yoshitomo Nara’s imagery and characters were influenced by manga or Japanese comic books, but his worldwide reputation came out of the juxtaposition of his cute and innocent-seeming figures with aspects of horror, which is provocative in comparison to Japan's reputation for having a society with rigid language and social decorum. Items like the Yoshitomo Nara Too Young to Die Ashtray, are representative of the innocence-danger paradox that Nara illustrates. A classic piece, the ashtray also represents Nara’s Pop art influence, where he offers up an image of his generation’s youth and transforms it into a collectible object for purchase.
Arresting in their poignancy, Yoshitomo Nara’s images have been adapted to a multitude of unique products. The flip clock adds whimsy to a mundane object, while a triptych of skate decks further enlarges the impact of the iconic big-headed girl with an eye patch. For those who enjoy outfitting their world with unique artistic touches, there is a whole universe of homeware created by artists and contemporary brands to strike just the right note in your interior.
