‘Anything Goes': Yoshitomo Nara on His Creative Process as London Exhibition Opens
Artworks by Yoshitomo Nara go on display in London this week in what organizers say is the largest European retrospective of the Japanese artist.
The show, running at the Hayward Gallery by the River Thames, features more than 150 works - drawings, paintings, sculptures, ceramics and installations - nodding to the longtime influences of Nara's works including music, nature, the importance of home and the peace movement.
"This is about 40 years' worth of my work," Nara told Reuters at a press preview on Monday.
"When I look at my work, I don't think what I'm trying to say has actually changed in that time. Whatever period I look at reflects a part of myself, which is why this exhibition is not done chronologically."
Nara, 65, is best known for his portraits of child-like characters with big gazing eyes.
"I think all the pictures I've created are like my reflections," he said when asked about them.
On display are plenty of those kinds of paintings and drawings as well as sculptures.
"Anything goes," says Nara, who was born in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan and lived in Germany early in his career before moving back home, said of his creative process.
"I don't think about what I'm doing, but when I've done something good, I can feel the reason behind it almost like a kind of hindsight."
The show is an expanded version of a touring exhibition previously put on at the Guggenheim in Bilbao and Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden.
"What's quite interesting, I think, for audiences in London and in Europe overall (is)... we don't actually get to see Nara's work in person that often," exhibition curator Yung Ma said.
"We've all seen his paintings and drawings on our devices...but I think all these kind of images, they don't do the works justice. So it's actually quite important to come and see because you can actually then understand (that)... he's a really good painter...but you can actually really see the texture of the works and the colors and the layering of the paint."
The exhibition runs from June 10 to August 31.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
42 minutes ago
- Arab News
UAE-based comedian Shawn Chidiac brings Dubai ‘comedy gold' to London audience
LONDON: For those who want to experience the hustle and bustle of Dubai without actually booking a flight, Shawn Chidiac's stand-up comedy show in London will offer an insight into the multicultural city that provides inspiration for his jokes and stage personas. The UAE-based comedian will perform 'Laughing in Translation' live at the Shaw Theatre in London on June 15. He told Arab News that storytelling and sharing experiences with the audience are at the heart of his stand-up comedy. Chidiac began sharing his humorous content on Instagram with the handle 'Laughing in Arabic,' aiming to introduce Western satire and wit to the Arab region, where it is often unfathomable. He later changed his username to the more personal @myparents_are_divorced, which has grown to more than 645,000 followers. The comedian's parents are, indeed, divorced, though some people question this when they meet him. He was born in Canada to a family originally from Lebanon, which he still visits a few times a year, and he appreciates the resilience it instilled in him, which saved him from ending up 'in a ditch many times,' he said. Chidiac grew up mainly in Dubai with his mother, who at times worked two jobs and started her own business to make ends meet. In this 'City of Gold' on the Arabian Gulf, home to 3.65 million people representing over 200 nationalities and speaking 150 different languages, Chidiac sharpened his wit, picked up various accents, and drew inspiration from stories from all walks of life. Comedy has been the most healing part of my life so far and will continue to heal me in many different ways Shawn Chidiac The stand-up comedian tells astonishing stories about life in Dubai. His comedy is inspired by his experiences interacting with people, while his goal is to connect with audiences through shared similarities, or to educate them about his family upbringing, culture, and history. 'The inspiration comes from the people I know and see, and the things I do, and my interaction with them. So, the more interaction I have, the better it is, which is hard because I'm a massive introvert,' he told Arab News in a video call from Dubai. His upbringing was mainly Arab, but also blends various cultures, mainly from Southeast Asia, as well as European and African countries. He discovered his talent for adopting different personas and accents at a young age when his mother heard him speaking with an Indian-English accent and asked him to perform it for her friends. The closest he lived to Europe was Sharjah, an emirate just 10 minutes from Dubai, he said. In addition to working in a software company in the UAE, Chidiac also worked for two months in Amsterdam. In 2023, he decided to quit his 9-5 job and become a full-time content creator and stand-up comedian. Last summer, he performed for the first time in London at Cadogan Hall alongside a group of stand-up comedians, and he recently had two performances at Dubai Opera and in Bahrain. Shawn Chidiac performing during a show at Dubai Opera, May 2, 2025. (Courtesy: S&S) In mid-June, he will visit London for the second time to perform his first solo show. The audience can expect to see and hear various Dubai characters and their distinct accents, such as an Egyptian salesman in a supermarket, a caring Indian father with his son, a Filipino flight attendant ensuring that seat belts are fastened, and possibly a Persian prince wearing a golden necklace secured by a golden lock. 'I'm connecting as many people as possible through (comedy stories about) my upbringing. Whoever has lived in the Gulf will have a similar story or narrative in their minds… The London audience will be experiencing it live, but in their own way and through their own lenses,' Chidiac said. He said that UK audiences are spoiled for choice when it comes to stand-up comedy shows, and their 'palate' is different from those in Dubai, where most of his audience are first-timers. Nevertheless, he said that it matters to him that they find his show 'funny, whether they're black, white, Asian, or Arab.' I'm connecting as many people as possible through (comedy stories about) my upbringing. Whoever has lived in the Gulf will have a similar story or narrative in their minds Shawn Chidiac Dubai is a popular destination for British expats, with an estimated 240,000 living there and many more visiting the city or using it as a transfer hub. Chidiac is working on his British accents, including one similar to the documentary-maker David Attenborough's and a thick Cockney version from London's East End. In Dubai, he operates 'Comedy Kitchen,' a community project that hosts open-mic nights to support other stand-up comedians, and he plans to launch a school to train and teach media skills. Chidiac said that being a full-time content creator and comedian during the past two years 'had its ups and downs.' Still, this has provided him with a solid platform on which to thrive and give back to his family. 'It's a very scary place to call home, but it has changed my life for the better for sure. I never, never look back with any regrets at all. 'Comedy has been the most healing part of my life so far and will continue to heal me in many different ways,' he said. * Laughing in Translation by Shawn Chidiac at the Shaw Theatre, London; 8pm, Sunday 15 June 2025
Asharq Al-Awsat
5 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
‘Anything Goes': Yoshitomo Nara on His Creative Process as London Exhibition Opens
Artworks by Yoshitomo Nara go on display in London this week in what organizers say is the largest European retrospective of the Japanese artist. The show, running at the Hayward Gallery by the River Thames, features more than 150 works - drawings, paintings, sculptures, ceramics and installations - nodding to the longtime influences of Nara's works including music, nature, the importance of home and the peace movement. "This is about 40 years' worth of my work," Nara told Reuters at a press preview on Monday. "When I look at my work, I don't think what I'm trying to say has actually changed in that time. Whatever period I look at reflects a part of myself, which is why this exhibition is not done chronologically." Nara, 65, is best known for his portraits of child-like characters with big gazing eyes. "I think all the pictures I've created are like my reflections," he said when asked about them. On display are plenty of those kinds of paintings and drawings as well as sculptures. "Anything goes," says Nara, who was born in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan and lived in Germany early in his career before moving back home, said of his creative process. "I don't think about what I'm doing, but when I've done something good, I can feel the reason behind it almost like a kind of hindsight." The show is an expanded version of a touring exhibition previously put on at the Guggenheim in Bilbao and Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden. "What's quite interesting, I think, for audiences in London and in Europe overall (is)... we don't actually get to see Nara's work in person that often," exhibition curator Yung Ma said. "We've all seen his paintings and drawings on our I think all these kind of images, they don't do the works justice. So it's actually quite important to come and see because you can actually then understand (that)... he's a really good you can actually really see the texture of the works and the colors and the layering of the paint." The exhibition runs from June 10 to August 31.
Asharq Al-Awsat
8 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Movie Review: ‘How to Train Your Dragon' Might Have Just Redeemed the Live-Action Adaptation
Ever wanted to soar through the skies on the back of a friendly dragon? The new 'How to Train Your Dragon' may be the ticket, from a decidedly safer, though possibly still vertigo-inducing, distance. This live-action adaption of the underdog adventure story sends the audience cascading through the clouds with the teenage Viking boy Hiccup and his dragon friend Toothless. It's the kind of immersive sensation and giddy wish fulfillment that might just have you forgetting momentarily to breathe and, maybe more importantly, that you're still in a movie theater. Credit to veteran cinematographer Bill Pope, no stranger to fantasy worlds, whether it's 'The Matrix' or 'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.' 'How to Train Your Dragon' doesn't stray far from the original, from shots to story beats. Gerard Butler once again plays Berk's Chief Stoick the Vast. The new Hiccup, actor Mason Thames, even sounds a bit like Jay Baruchel. But unlike so many live-action remakes of animated films, it also doesn't feel superfluous, or, worse, like a poor imitation of its predecessor that trades the magic of animation for photorealism. Perhaps that's because filmmaker Dean DeBlois, who made the three animated films, stayed in the director's chair. Who better to kill their darlings than the one who brought them to the screen in the first place? And, crucially, to know where live-action might actually enhance the fabric of the world created by author Cressida Cowell. It helps that dragon technology has come a long way since, say, 'DragonHeart.' These fire-breathing CG creatures feel disarmingly real. And though it might look like 'Lord of the Rings' or 'Game of Thrones,' the tone stays light enough for younger filmgoers. There are a few intense sequences, but none that takes it any further than the animated film did 15 years ago. 'How to Train Your Dragon' does start a little slow, however, which is odd because it also begins with a fiery battle between the Vikings and the dragons on the Isle of Berk. There's a lot of exposition and introduction that needs to happen before you can just give yourself over to the story. In this more multicultural version, the warriors on Berk have been recruited from tribes around the globe to try to defeat the dragons. Hiccup is a Viking nepo baby. As the chief's son, he sits in a place of privilege, but he's also a general outcast in this world of ruthless warriors — skinny and weak, he just longs to be part of the action, not sharpening the weapons. Killing dragons is currency in this society, and his crush Astrid (Nico Parker) happens to be one of the most promising up-and-comers. His sole champion is Gobber (a delightful Nick Frost), the blacksmith and dragon slayer teacher, who convinces the chief to give the clever Hiccup a shot. The film finds its internal engine when Hiccup finds Toothless, the wide-eyed 'Night Fury' dragon whom he can't bring himself to kill. Instead, he decides to study this discovery, who he finds is not nearly as fearsome as everyone assumes. 'How to Train Your Dragon' teaches empathy and ingenuity without a sermon. Thames, a teenager himself, is the perfect embodiment of adolescent awkwardness and boldness. You can have all the cute dragons you want, but the audience would be lost if the human conduit to the relationship isn't up to the task. Butler seems to be having a good time, resplendent in fur and chest-thumping ideas about ancient duties. And Parker gives Astrid a relatable depth — the best in the bunch who is outshone in an unequal fight. Kids deserve movies that are made on the biggest possible canvas. 'How to Train Your Dragon' is one that's worth the trip to the theater. It might just spark some young imaginations, whether it's to go back and read the books or dream up their own worlds. And, chances are, no one is going to be yelling 'chicken jockey.'
