艺术果酱｜拒绝被分类的艺术家：奈良美智
#奈良美智《无害的小猫》（1994）
As one of Japan’s most popular contemporary artists, Yoshitomo Nara’s most memorable painted image is that of a pure yet indifferent, lonely and aloof little girl. In his early career, his figures were alarming, evoking pity and heartbreak, resonating with young people worldwide. Over the past 20 years, his creations have gradually engaged in dialogue with the world, taking on a dreamlike coloration. Notably, in this exhibition, his works created following the Fukushima incident in Japan, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and addressing the changing global situation with anti-war themes.
作为日本最受欢迎的当代艺术家之一，奈良美智最令人印象深刻的绘画形象，便是那个纯真而冷漠、孤僻而疏离的小女孩。早年时期，他笔下的形象令人警觉，让人感到心疼又心碎，在全世界年轻人心中引发了共鸣。近20年来，他的创作逐渐与世界对话，呈现出梦境般的色彩。在本次展览中，特别值得关注的，是他在日本福岛事件以后、在新冠疫情当中的创作，以及针对世界局势剧变而创作的反战题材的作品。
Recalling his experience in Germany, loneliness left the deepest impression on him, “I was able to be alone, like when I was a child. The sky was gray, the weather was cold, and I was isolated from people. I didn’t talk much, but I thought a lot and couldn’t express my feelings. Loneliness and alienation are the driving forces behind my creation.” The solitary girl with piercing eyes began to appear frequently in Yoshitomo Nara’s paintings, often standing in a corner of the frame, looking out with a sidelong glance, wearing an expression of loneliness and estrangement, and sometimes carrying a knife behind her back. “These works were born from my struggle with myself, not with others,” says Yoshitomo Nara.
回忆起德国的经历，他印象最深刻的是孤独，“我能够独处，像小时候一样，天空是灰的，天气很冷，与人隔绝，我不太说话，但我想很多，无法说出自己的感觉。孤独和疏离感是我创作的动力。”这个拥有犀利眼神的孤单女孩开始不断出现在奈良美智的画纸上，女孩常常站在画面一角，斜着眼睛往外看，带着孤独又疏离的表情，有时，她在背后藏着一把刀。“这些作品诞生于我和自己的对抗，而不是和他人的对抗。”奈良美智如是说。
奈良美智《甜蜜家门》（2019）
From 2017 to 2019, Yoshitomo Nara created a series of “billboard” paintings, confronting war trauma and nuclear threat head-on. The four interconnected paintings “Out of the Air-Raid Shelter”, “Peace Girl”, “Sweet Home”, and “Home” resemble an ageless anti-war song from the 1960s. In “Peace Girl”, the girl steps on the dictator’s head with a charming smile on her face.
从2017年到2019年，奈良美智创作了一系列“广告牌”绘画，直面战争创伤和核弹威胁。《从防空洞出来》《和平女孩》《甜蜜家门》《家》四幅作品首尾相连，就像一首来自上世纪六十年代的隽永的反战歌曲。“和平女孩”踩着独裁者的脑袋，嘴角露出邪魅的微笑。
奈良美智《突发事件》（2013）
#奈良美智《日惹迷你星屋》
In 2011, the Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear disaster struck Japan consecutively. Yoshitomo Nara’s residence was only 70 kilometers away from the epicenter, and he drove with his mother to deliver food and assistance to those in need near the disaster area. In “Sudden Event” two years later, Yoshitomo Nara depicts a portrait of a girl carried on a stretcher, which may be one of his most personalized images. While the background of the painting is a tragic event shrouded in the shadow of death, the artist fills the canvas with warm shades of beige, making the entire composition seem light and heartwarming.
2011年，日本东北地震、海啸和福岛核灾难接连爆发。奈良美智居住的地方离震中只有70公里，他和母亲一起开车到灾区附近为有需要的人送去食物和帮助。在两年后的《突发事件》中，奈良美智描绘了一个被担架抬走的女孩的肖像，这可能是他最个人化的图像之一。画作的背景是一件充满了死亡阴影的悲剧事件，但艺术家依然用温暖的奶黄色涂满画布，让整幅作品显得轻盈而温暖。
During an exhibition in Japan, Nara attempted to build a small house inside the exhibition hall, with paintings pinned on the walls inside. His university professor told him, “It’s like your university dorm room, where you used to pin your paintings on the wall.” Nara realized he’d always wanted to return to a familiar place—the seven-year-old girl was like another version of himself in a time tunnel, and the little house, like a college dorm, became a container for his memories.
在日本做展览的时候，他试着在展厅里盖了一个小房子，把画钉在里面的墙上。他的大学老师对他说：“这好像你的大学寝室，那时你就是这样把画钉在墙上的。”奈良美智意识到，自己一直想回到熟悉的地方——那个七岁的女孩好像时空隧道中的另一个自己，而像是大学宿舍一般的小房子则是他储藏记忆的容器。
In subsequent world tours, Nara would build a small house in each location, filled with canvases, paints, rock records, and scattered books, each item brimming with memories, explaining the origins of his art… He realized that this was his favorite way to exhibit. To build the small houses, the artist, who was used to working alone, found his first partner. “The joy of art became twofold,” an experience he had never had before.
在此后的世界巡回展览中，奈良美智每到一处就会盖一个小房子，里面有画布和颜料、摇滚唱片、散落的书籍，每个物件都充满了回忆，解释了他和他的艺术从何而来……他意识到，这就是他最喜欢的展览方式。为了盖小房子，习惯了独行的艺术家拥有了第一个伙伴。“艺术的喜悦变成了两份。”这是他从未有过的体验。
“奈良美智”，余德耀美术馆展览现场，2022年
Nara’s attraction to wide-eyed children transcended international borders, captivating people of all ages. One of the most appealing aspects of Nara’s work is his ability to cleverly fuse adult emotions with children’s naivety in his creations, as though he were conversing with the child within all of us. Nara states, “Nowadays, people are no longer forbidden to explore vulgar and childish topics; only those seeking ‘extraordinary’ maturity would find these things uninteresting.”
奈良美智对大眼睛儿童的吸引力跨越了国际边界，吸引了许多不同年龄段的人。奈良美智最吸引人的地方之一就是他能够将成人的情绪和孩子们的稚拙巧妙地融合在他的作品中，就好像他和我们所有人都在跟孩子说话。奈良美智说:“如今人们不再被禁止涉足庸俗和儿童题材的东西，只有那些想要‘非常’成熟的人才不会对这些东西感兴趣。”
Interest in Nara has steadily grown since the first exhibition held by the Nara Gallery in Los Angeles in the mid-1990s. A notable turning point occurred upon Nara’s return to Japan in 2000, exemplified in the piece “Knife Behind Back” from that period. Nara’s earlier works were more cartoonish, with heavy lines and simple colors; post-2000, they became richer and more colorful, possessing dreamlike hues. All of Nara’s 13 highest auction prices to date were achieved in 2019 and 2020.
自上世纪90年代中期奈良画廊在洛杉矶举办第一次画展以来，人们对它的兴趣稳步增长。2000年奈良美智回到日本时，出现了一个不可否认的转折点，《背后的刀子》就是那个时期的作品。奈良美智早期的作品更卡通化，浓重的线条和简单的色彩，进入21世纪后，它们变得更加丰富多彩，有更多的梦幻色彩。奈良美智的作品迄今为止的13个最高拍卖价格都是在2019年和2020年创下的。
Nara’s popularity extends beyond Asia, with his acclaim steadily growing in regions outside Japan and the rest of Asia. Despite those close to him saying Nara despises the high-priced art market and critical standards of the art world, his mythic status and loyal fan base have only grown over the years. His seemingly simple aesthetics possess a powerful emotional magnetism.
奈良美智不仅在亚洲很受欢迎，在日本和亚洲以外的地区也越来越受追捧。尽管身边的人说奈良美智厌恶自己的作品高价市场和艺术界评论标准，但多年来奈良美智的神话地位和忠实粉丝群只增不减，他的美学表面上看似简单，但却具有强大的情感吸引力。
