Nara Yoshitomo

Nara Yoshitomo: Born in 1959 in Aomori Prefecture. In 1987, he completed his master's degree at the Aichi University of the Arts. Moved to Germany in 1988 and enrolled at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. After a stay in Cologne, he returned to Japan in 2000. Since the late 90's he has exhibited in various places in Europe, the United States, Japan and Asia. Known for his powerful portraits with eyes that look at the viewer; drawings made daily; three-dimensional works in wood, glass fibre reinforced plastic, ceramics and bronze; and installations of small houses. Nara's works contain everything he encompasses. Memories etched in the depths of his soul; and the music, paintings, and literature that he came across organically by following his curiosity, which inspired his mind and sensibilities – all of this is built up in countless layers. For example, he is strongly influenced by the music he started listening to at the age of nine. Most of it was in a foreign language, but young Nara used his imagination to overcome the language barrier. He recreated the landscape of music within himself with the help of the record sleeves and tried to understand the piece as if he himself lived in that world.