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Lot Essay
Yoshimoto Nara’s Untitled, executed in 2003, demonstrates the artist’s unmistakable style and subject matter all on the back of an opened, empty envelope. Known for his whimsical yet often menacing depictions of children, this 2003 example by Nara depicts a child imitating what is presumably Frankenstein’s monster. Wearing a green shirt, the color often associated with the ‘monster,’ the child is moving forward in a zombie-like fashion, their eyes glazed over and seemingly absent of life, with a trail of three bolts falling alongside them.
The artist notoriously utilizes the subject of a child in his work as a way to capture the innocence and imagination inherent in that of an adolescent. However, he also often uses them as a way to portray more profound feelings lingering below the surface. The child, as a pure and universally protected figure, amplifies those grim feelings for the viewer, as they see them in someone thought to be immune to such adult troubles.
Untitled (2003) speaks to that latter point while also drawing on Nara’s interest in movies, television, music and novels. The Mary Shelley classic, Frankenstein, tells the story of a ‘monster’ and his creator. A misunderstood creature, the monster is abandoned by his creator due to his hideous nature and is thus left to his own devices. The story talks of the monster’s extreme loneliness and desire to get back at the creator who left him with a life set up for failure.
On the surface, Nara’s decision to have the child pose as Frankenstein’s monster can be interpreted as merely child’s play. However, knowing the story, it can be said that having the child play the monster is a commentary on parenthood and the importance and responsibility that comes with it. Like Frankenstein’s monster, perhaps the child depicted here feels abandoned as well - a sentiment that is perhaps further alluded to in the fact that the work itself is composed on an opened envelope, which is often tossed out.
The depth seen in Untitled (2003) is typical of Nara’s style and further proves his significance in the canon of art. As one of Japan's most internationally influential contemporary artists, his works are collected by important museums, including The Art Institute of Chicago (USA), British Museum (UK), The Museum of Modern Art, New York (USA), Aomori Museum of Art (Japan), Leeum Samsung Museum of Art (Korea) and Neues Museum (Germany).
The artist notoriously utilizes the subject of a child in his work as a way to capture the innocence and imagination inherent in that of an adolescent. However, he also often uses them as a way to portray more profound feelings lingering below the surface. The child, as a pure and universally protected figure, amplifies those grim feelings for the viewer, as they see them in someone thought to be immune to such adult troubles.
Untitled (2003) speaks to that latter point while also drawing on Nara’s interest in movies, television, music and novels. The Mary Shelley classic, Frankenstein, tells the story of a ‘monster’ and his creator. A misunderstood creature, the monster is abandoned by his creator due to his hideous nature and is thus left to his own devices. The story talks of the monster’s extreme loneliness and desire to get back at the creator who left him with a life set up for failure.
On the surface, Nara’s decision to have the child pose as Frankenstein’s monster can be interpreted as merely child’s play. However, knowing the story, it can be said that having the child play the monster is a commentary on parenthood and the importance and responsibility that comes with it. Like Frankenstein’s monster, perhaps the child depicted here feels abandoned as well - a sentiment that is perhaps further alluded to in the fact that the work itself is composed on an opened envelope, which is often tossed out.
The depth seen in Untitled (2003) is typical of Nara’s style and further proves his significance in the canon of art. As one of Japan's most internationally influential contemporary artists, his works are collected by important museums, including The Art Institute of Chicago (USA), British Museum (UK), The Museum of Modern Art, New York (USA), Aomori Museum of Art (Japan), Leeum Samsung Museum of Art (Korea) and Neues Museum (Germany).