LACMA's Yoshimoto Nara's exhibit: a museum must-see

By Jadyn Miyahira, Staff Writer

Up until July 5, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) will continue to feature Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara. His work reflects the rawness of his abounding creativity as well as his awareness of politics and pop culture — it is an absolute must-see. 

Nara was born in Hirosaki, located in Northern Japan, in 1959. He had working parents and was consequently frequently left to entertain himself. One such distraction was music, and album covers were his first real exposure to visual art. Having been brought up in postwar Japan during the Vietnam War, Nara was constantly reminded of warfare, past and present. Music served as a source of liberation from these traumas, and he gravitated towards genres such as antiwar rock and African ballads. 

Nara’s works exploded with popularity in the 1990s. Many of his early pieces, which were done in Germany, where he resided from 1988-2000, have a sense of duality to them — they consist of  depictions of seemingly innocent characters holding flames, cigarettes or even knives. The look of these works were almost uncannily disorganized. By the mid-1990s, his works began to center around characters with enlarged heads and haunting expressions. 

As you walk into the exhibit, one of the first things you will see is a wall covered in album covers, from folk to rock to punk. As you explore deeper into the exhibit, you will notice recurring themes that stem from Nara’s musical influences, whether it be song lyrics by The Ramones written explicitly on his works, or even descriptions of how songs by Del Amitri inspired a painting. I highly recommend listening to the exhibition soundtrack as you engage with the art, which can be found on the LACMA website.

The entirety of the exhibition was divided into several gallery rooms, some displaying paintings, drawings, sculptures, fountains or even small wooden drawing rooms. Some rooms were organized and minimal, while others were more cluttered. The former tended to display his more recent works, and the latter, his older works. 

Walking through the extensive exhibit, I noticed that many of Nara’s drawings and paintings were done on torn paper, cardboard and even wrinkled envelopes. Some also had text, one saying, “sorry I couldn’t draw,” in response to a drawing where he wrote “thumbs up” rather than drawing a thumbs up. 

In exhibits that I have visited in the past, the art seemed distant and impossible to emulate; a narrative is sparked that suggests that the artist is a genius, that they are among the gods. However, Nara’s work felt very accessible as a viewer, and I could see the humanity in him. It made me realize that anything, even thoughts, can become a form of visual art. 

To anyone feeling comfortable enough to do so, book LACMA tickets ASAP! This was an incredible exhibit, not to mention how nice it was to visit a museum again. Students from 13 to 17 years of age living in LA County get in for free, so all you have to do is book your appointment on the LACMA website!