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Lot Essay
A rare work by Yoshitomo Nara, in that it appears to feature exclusively male subjects instead of his usual female protagonists, So You Better Hold On is an arresting work that examines notions surrounding the innocence of childhood. Painted in cool, almost translucent hues, a pair of boy-like figures is portrayed in profile; large eyes and blond, carefully-quaffed hair portrays an initial sense of innocence, yet this scene of virtue is disrupted by the fact that each boy has placed his hand into his own mouth. The child on the right gazes into the oversized eye of his companion, who instead fixes his stare toward the viewer. The work’s declarative title is spelled out beneath the figures, adding to the overall sense of unease and danger. Here, as within the best examples of Nara’s work, youthful innocence exists in an uneasy world.
The present work speaks to the very core of Nara’s oeuvre: the identity of childhood. His paintings are intensely personal and evocative of his own upbringing, being mostly expressive of the personal difficulties he faced in relating to the outside world. Nara's big-headed and stylized cartoon-like children can be seen as reflections of the artist's true self, often expressing feelings of alienation and powerlessness. This sense of unease runs through the heart of So You Better Hold On. Although Nara’s figures may superficially take their place in Japan’s celebration of Kawaii, the cuteness that pervades much of Japanese popular culture from the massive commercial success of Hello Kitty to the pervasiveness of the Pikachu character from Pokémon, this veneer of charm masks a darker undercurrent that is inherent in much of Nara’s best work.
Resident in Japan but educated at the trailblazing Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 1988-1991, Nara also introduces influences such as the exaggerated features of Otto Dix and the evocative coloration of Neo-expressionism. The strongly defined lines are reminiscent of those in Ukiyo-e woodcuts. As with images from childhood picture books, Nara aims to inspire thought and wonder in his viewers. He has explained: “I want to trigger their imaginations. This way, each individual can see my work with his or her own unique, imaginative mind. People with very imaginative minds perhaps can see something more than I can” (Y. Nara, quoted in M. Chiu, “A Conversation with the Artist,” in M. Chu and M. Tezuka (eds.), Yoshimoto Nara: Nobody’s Fool, exh. cat. Asia Society Museum, New York, 2011, p 179).
The present work speaks to the very core of Nara’s oeuvre: the identity of childhood. His paintings are intensely personal and evocative of his own upbringing, being mostly expressive of the personal difficulties he faced in relating to the outside world. Nara's big-headed and stylized cartoon-like children can be seen as reflections of the artist's true self, often expressing feelings of alienation and powerlessness. This sense of unease runs through the heart of So You Better Hold On. Although Nara’s figures may superficially take their place in Japan’s celebration of Kawaii, the cuteness that pervades much of Japanese popular culture from the massive commercial success of Hello Kitty to the pervasiveness of the Pikachu character from Pokémon, this veneer of charm masks a darker undercurrent that is inherent in much of Nara’s best work.
Resident in Japan but educated at the trailblazing Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 1988-1991, Nara also introduces influences such as the exaggerated features of Otto Dix and the evocative coloration of Neo-expressionism. The strongly defined lines are reminiscent of those in Ukiyo-e woodcuts. As with images from childhood picture books, Nara aims to inspire thought and wonder in his viewers. He has explained: “I want to trigger their imaginations. This way, each individual can see my work with his or her own unique, imaginative mind. People with very imaginative minds perhaps can see something more than I can” (Y. Nara, quoted in M. Chiu, “A Conversation with the Artist,” in M. Chu and M. Tezuka (eds.), Yoshimoto Nara: Nobody’s Fool, exh. cat. Asia Society Museum, New York, 2011, p 179).