false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178676159m/820918.jpg 820918 1 At first sight, the childlike figures for which Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara is now famous seem altogether cute and appealing. On closer examination his creations are robust, angry, and vulnerable creatures, standing up defiantly to the world of adults--self-confident, stubborn, and sometimes violent. Nara's work is influenced by Japanese comic books but he is unique in the contemporary art scene for tapping into horror through the medium of the innocent child--this is particularly poignant in Japan's controlled society of rigid language and social structures, especially considering recent shockingly violent crimes in Japan involving children as the aggressors. Nara's work instills the viewer with a juxtaposition of the innocence of children and the evil nature of humanity, or the fall from grace. Like Kurt Cobain's music, Nara's Pop art, too, aims to lend expression to his generation's concerns, encouraging it to meet the constraints of high achievement. Self-determination, individuality, and freedom are themes that infuse Nara's voice that is clearly heard in Japan and America, where the dividing line between "low" and "high" culture is less stringently drawn than in Europe. In addition to Nara's signature paintings, sculptures, and drawings; (poems and diary entries by the artist); this 204-page book includes texts by the art critic Stephan Trescher and the Japanese cult author Banana Yoshimoto. 806755 15 3 2005 Lullaby Supermarket total:22|5:10|4:9|3:2|2:1| 22 94 35 3 5 1 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu Oct 11 21:44:42 -0700 2007 Thu Oct 11 21:53:36 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 23 22:00:29 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 23 22:03:25 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Tue Aug 05 19:45:02 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 05 19:46:15 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Thu Sep 24 09:34:33 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 24 09:34:33 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Sep 15 17:23:03 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 15 17:23:15 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Aug 21 22:11:24 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 22:11:24 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Jul 12 06:35:39 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 12 06:35:39 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Apr 25 19:04:18 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 19:04:24 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Apr 22 22:41:09 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 22:41:19 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Mar 09 19:44:16 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 09 19:44:16 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Feb 27 09:10:16 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 09:10:16 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Feb 03 19:29:29 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 19:29:29 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Mon Dec 22 22:45:32 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 22 22:45:32 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Tue Dec 09 01:30:04 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 09 01:30:04 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Wed Nov 19 20:13:34 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 19 20:13:34 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Wed Nov 19 14:49:31 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 19 14:49:31 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Wed Sep 24 19:48:11 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 24 19:48:11 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Mon Sep 15 19:19:46 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 15 19:19:46 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Sat Aug 30 15:13:51 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 30 15:13:51 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Fri Aug 22 11:32:18 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 22 11:32:18 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=820918