logo
Yoshitomo Nara

Yoshitomo Nara

Time Out6 hours ago

If eyes truly are the windows to the soul, then the intensely staring, delinquent characters created by Yoshimoto Nara have a lot going on inside. As one of the best-known (and best-selling) Japanese artists of our time, Nara has earned this massive retrospective at the Hayward Gallery. It's his largest ever UK exhibition by far: spanning not only his paintings, but also drawings, installations, and sculpture across a four-decades-long career.
On entering, you're confronted with a rickety wooden house, complete with a patchwork corrugated iron roof and glass windows revealing a homey room scattered with drawings. Rock music whirs from the TV and empty beer cans litter one corner: this feels like a place of peace, a sanctuary where Nara's interests and comforts intersect. Here, we're introduced to his punkish tendencies – not only in his musical tastes (in some works, he plays up to his inner fangirl, scribbling 'thank you for Ramones' around a rough coloured-in cartoon), but also in attitude. This is an artist that is all about playing with innocence – like sticking cigarettes in children's mouths – and protest, scrawling slogans about ending nukes in capital letters and adding pacifist symbolism to clothing.
Nara is known for his kawaii, manga-esque figures which might look lost and sad as much as naughty and demonic. Some are loud, brash: like his collection of solid-lined paint marker drawings on paper. Others, like After the Acid Rain, 2006, appear innocent until you read the name. You realise those wide eyes are not glittering to look pretty: they're desperate, helpless.
It's usually his drawings which are spikier, more political, but his quieter, more nuanced painting is the most impressive. Midnight Tears, 2023, is a show stopper: all rainbow-like dappled hair and glistening, jewel-like eyes, it's iridescent in its layering of colour and paint, as though you're seeing it through a light fog in its softness of brush.
What works well about this exhibition is that it really lets the work speak for itself: extra context is only given on every other label, and it's arranged via loose themes, allowing you to make subtle connections and trace the growth in Nara's practice. It's perhaps most obvious in his sculptural work: Pray, 1991, a cat-like figure made from rough papier-mâché and acrylic, is rough and heavy, as though it's been bandaged up in a rush. The sublimely smooth lacquered heads in Fountain of Life, stacked up on top of a teacup and gently weeping real water, could be a different artist entirely – if it weren't for the tell-tale downcast eyes and childlike softness.
At points, it can all start to feel like you're seeing the same thing again and again. But it's the subtleties which make it worthwhile. Nara's play with western pop culture and darker themes alluding to climate change and nuclear war, all packaged up into a sugary-sweet package, is a real joy to look at. But it's his painterly skill, when seen up close, which is the real treat.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

M&S shoppers race to buy £3.50 margarita in a can that's has a new and improved feature that fans are going wild for
M&S shoppers race to buy £3.50 margarita in a can that's has a new and improved feature that fans are going wild for

Scottish Sun

time5 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

M&S shoppers race to buy £3.50 margarita in a can that's has a new and improved feature that fans are going wild for

Read on for more summer cocktails launching in M&S DRINK UP M&S shoppers race to buy £3.50 margarita in a can that's has a new and improved feature that fans are going wild for WITH summer now here, we're all dreaming of relaxing in the park or the garden with a cheeky drink in hand. And shoppers are going wild for the latest collection of tinned cocktails from Marks & Spencer. Advertisement 3 M&S fans are stocking up on their new cocktail collection Credit: 3 The new margarita has fans going wild Credit: 3 There are some more experimental drinks on offer to Credit: The new collection of goodies has launched in store and there's something for everyone. The M&S store in Heswall shared the summer drinks on TikTok writing: "Look like summer." The original collection includes favourites such as mojitos, pina coladas and cosmos, but they've gone more experimental this time. M&S has some fan favourites up for grabs this summer, like Apertivio Spritz, which is made from bitter orange flavours and sparkling white wine. Advertisement There's also a mint and elderflower Hugo Spritz and a Limoncello Spritz. Also up for grabs is an exotic Sake Spritz, made with a blend of the Japanese liquor in a tropical lyche flavour. But there's one cocktail that has everyone excited to try. Included in the new range of drinks is a margarita made with blanco tequila, zestty limes and sweet agave syrup. Advertisement While M&S has released the iconic cocktail before, in the past it has been a fizzy version. But now shoppers are thrilled to see it come without the fizz and it costs just £3.50. The £3.50 M&S buy that'll make your whole house smell like a 'boujee candle' The TikTok video was a hit with viewers who couldn't hide their excitement over the new collection. One person wrote: "Hope this means M&S are finally selling a proper margarita that's not fizzy!" which the store liked, hinting it was. Advertisement Another commented: 'Those little 14% ones are chef's kiss." "M&S STAYS WINNING," penned a third. NHS guidelines on drinking alcohol According to the NHS, regularly drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week risks damaging your health. To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level if you drink most weeks: men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis spread your drinking over 3 or more days if you regularly drink as much as 14 units a week if you want to cut down, try to have several drink-free days each week If you're pregnant or think you could become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum. You read more on the NHS website. Meanwhile a fourth said: "Omg the Hugo." "Heaven,' claimed a fifth. Advertisement Someone else added: 'Yumm." Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: fabulousdigital@ and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line.

Yoshitomo Nara
Yoshitomo Nara

Time Out

time6 hours ago

  • Time Out

Yoshitomo Nara

If eyes truly are the windows to the soul, then the intensely staring, delinquent characters created by Yoshimoto Nara have a lot going on inside. As one of the best-known (and best-selling) Japanese artists of our time, Nara has earned this massive retrospective at the Hayward Gallery. It's his largest ever UK exhibition by far: spanning not only his paintings, but also drawings, installations, and sculpture across a four-decades-long career. On entering, you're confronted with a rickety wooden house, complete with a patchwork corrugated iron roof and glass windows revealing a homey room scattered with drawings. Rock music whirs from the TV and empty beer cans litter one corner: this feels like a place of peace, a sanctuary where Nara's interests and comforts intersect. Here, we're introduced to his punkish tendencies – not only in his musical tastes (in some works, he plays up to his inner fangirl, scribbling 'thank you for Ramones' around a rough coloured-in cartoon), but also in attitude. This is an artist that is all about playing with innocence – like sticking cigarettes in children's mouths – and protest, scrawling slogans about ending nukes in capital letters and adding pacifist symbolism to clothing. Nara is known for his kawaii, manga-esque figures which might look lost and sad as much as naughty and demonic. Some are loud, brash: like his collection of solid-lined paint marker drawings on paper. Others, like After the Acid Rain, 2006, appear innocent until you read the name. You realise those wide eyes are not glittering to look pretty: they're desperate, helpless. It's usually his drawings which are spikier, more political, but his quieter, more nuanced painting is the most impressive. Midnight Tears, 2023, is a show stopper: all rainbow-like dappled hair and glistening, jewel-like eyes, it's iridescent in its layering of colour and paint, as though you're seeing it through a light fog in its softness of brush. What works well about this exhibition is that it really lets the work speak for itself: extra context is only given on every other label, and it's arranged via loose themes, allowing you to make subtle connections and trace the growth in Nara's practice. It's perhaps most obvious in his sculptural work: Pray, 1991, a cat-like figure made from rough papier-mâché and acrylic, is rough and heavy, as though it's been bandaged up in a rush. The sublimely smooth lacquered heads in Fountain of Life, stacked up on top of a teacup and gently weeping real water, could be a different artist entirely – if it weren't for the tell-tale downcast eyes and childlike softness. At points, it can all start to feel like you're seeing the same thing again and again. But it's the subtleties which make it worthwhile. Nara's play with western pop culture and darker themes alluding to climate change and nuclear war, all packaged up into a sugary-sweet package, is a real joy to look at. But it's his painterly skill, when seen up close, which is the real treat.

Bvlgari Kaleidos: Colors, Cultures and Crafts
Bvlgari Kaleidos: Colors, Cultures and Crafts

Time Out

time7 hours ago

  • Time Out

Bvlgari Kaleidos: Colors, Cultures and Crafts

Classical elegance and Mediterranean heritage meet daring innovation in the artisanal jewellery of Bulgari, the Rome-based luxury house that's become synonymous with exceptional craftsmanship over its 140-year history. This show, the brand's largest in Japan and its first in a decade, offers an opulent journey through nearly 350 pieces of jewellery and contemporary art. Its name a portmanteau of the Greek words kalos (beautiful) and eidos (form), the show presents a kaleidoscopic narrative where colour is both the medium and the message. It showcases Bulgari's use of hues as a hallmark of its innovation, from the postwar 'chromatic revolution' in gemstones to the vibrant combinations that define the brand's legacy today. Divided into three thematic chapters, the exhibition explores colour through scientific, cultural and sensory lenses. Contemporary artists Mariko Mori, Lara Favaretto and Akiko Nakayama offer personal meditations on the theme, while scenography by architect Kazuyo Sejima and design studio Formafantasma unites Roman grandeur with Japanese minimalism.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store