HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s S|2 – Sotheby’s contemporary art gallery that offers year- round exhibition programming and bespoke private sales - presents The World According to Nara – A Selling Exhibition celebrating the renowned Japanese artist, Yoshitomo Nara. Being held at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Gallery from 6 to 24 September, The World According to Nara is the first solo selling exhibition of the artist’s works in Hong Kong. Featuring over 15 works dated between 1988 and 2010, the exhibition explores a broad spectrum of the artist’s critically acclaimed career, including his works across the media of paintings, drawings and sculptures.

Bridging the boundaries between pop culture and high art, the spirit of Nara’s oeuvre is heavily nourished by the influences of his youth. Beneath the aggressive expressions of his child-like characters, Nara confronts the emotional core of his subjects, gnawing at the deeper roots of life. Through the intersection of figurative and text narratives, a captivating realm of images begins to unravel, and it is here that audiences are invited to peer into the world according to Nara.

Angelika Li, Gallery Director, Sotheby’s Hong Kong Gallery, said: “Yoshitomo Nara is one of the leading artists of Japan's Neo Pop art movement since the 1990s and he plays an influential role not only in Japan and Asia but throughout the international art world. Nara's depictions of cute yet devilish children and animals are often associated with the popular culture of manga and anime and also his passion for punk rock. These elements have significantly influenced his art and reflect his sensibilities on both personal and social levels. Sotheby's Hong Kong Gallery is delighted to present Nara's works across different media and scales created between 1988 and 2010. In this exhibition, we hope the audience will understand his interpretation of art and see the world through the eyes of this influential artist.”

EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS
The scale of the works in this exhibition ranges from a standard envelope to billboard size measuring over 335cm (11 feet) wide. This exhibition will present an unprecedented opportunity to see Nara’s monumental works across series.

In the Pinky Lake 2004 Acrylic on canvas over fibre-reinforced plastic 180.3 x 180.3 cm
In the Pinky Lake is one of Nara’s large format plate paintings. The wide-eyed, curious expression of the figure is quintessentially Nara, a balance between compassion and agitation, calling to mind a broad spectrum of emotions in the artist’s oeuvre.

One Foot in the Groove (For Donnie Fritts) 2010 Acrylic on wood 221.9 x 352.7 x 8.9 cm
One Foot in the Groove (For Donnie Fritts) is from Nara’s billboard series, a body of work the artist began in the early 2000s. As the name of the billboards series suggests, they are grand in scale, yet this work in particular is one of the most monumental of its kind measuring over 335cm (11 feet) wide. The opportunity for viewers to come in contact with the work is overwhelmingly powerful, swallowing the viewing into Nara’s emotional sphere. The effect of the work on viewers is further enforced by the song lyrics sprawled across the front, a reference to music and common source of inspiration for Nara.

Round Eyes 2009 Acrylic on canvas 260.4 x 182.9 cm
Round Eyes is a work on canvas towering 260 cm (8.5 feet) above the viewer. The viewer comes face to face with the larger than life head that comprises the majority of the canvas. There has never been a Nara canvas over 231 cm (91 inches) to ever come to auction. They are incredibly rare and thus this is an excellent opportunity to acquire one in our unique and varied selling exhibition.