Yoshitomo Nara and David Shrigley, Untitled (William Tell with Shield), 2002, Pen and colored pencil on paper, 265 × 232 mm

2001 was a major turning point in which he became recognized as the leading contemporary artist in Japan. One of the Nara’s earliest collaborations was with the British artist David Shrigley. The method is, Shrigley initially sends his drawings to Nara, who would then add texts or images. They repeat these processes until the work was completed. They were seeking for a brand new art created through the dialog and interpretation.

“My Drawing Room”, 2004-ongoing, Mixed media, 3,120 × 2,005 × 4,480 mm, Cooperation provided by graf

Furthermore, the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo closes in December 2020. Due to the event, Nara’s permanent exhibition there, “My Drawing Room”, is decided to be moved to Hara Museum Ark in Gunma Prefecture. We’d strongly recommend visiting the museum now if you are closeby Tokyo.