Virtual Conversation with Yoshitomo Nara and Mika Yoshitake

Yoshitomo Nara is among the most beloved and globally recognized Japanese artists of his generation. Spanning 36 years of his practice from 1984 to the present, this international retrospective gathers over 100 major paintings, sculptures, and installations as well as 700 works on paper. As Nara’s work is permeated by his love of music, the opening gallery displays over 350 records the artist has accumulated over the past 40 years. The images on the record covers introduced him to a vast array of artistic genres merging in his subconscious and eventually making their way into his art. Raised in Aomori in northern Japan, where he first heard American folk and rock music during the Vietnam War from a radio broadcast serving the nearby U.S. Misawa Air Base, these records have allowed him to confront the complexities of war, ongoing nuclear power debates, and ecological disasters. Music’s ability to convey emotional depth and atmospheric power finds a parallel with Nara’s artworks. His work, which combines visua