奈良美智 Yoshitomo Nara
奈良美智，1959年生於日本青森，國際知名當代藝術家。創作以插畫為主，幾乎不含透視背景，而只突顯人物。其對於有著大眼睛和大頭的兒童形象相當著迷，善於塑造各種帶有情感的眼神，其中最具代表性的，即是有著些微憤怒、不屑甚或邪惡的「斜視」眼神。作品中不時呈現年幼的記憶與現實經歷，深具諷刺意味；以沈默方式傳達意欲，卻既清晰又乖戾地直達觀者的心底，十分詼諧逗趣。1990年代後期，其亦開始創作立體作品，主要是將畫作中的孩童或小狗等做成大型立體雕塑，或採不同媒材拼組的方式構成。其 作品已由許多博物館典藏，如美國紐約現代藝術博物館及洛杉磯當代藝術博物館等。
Nara was born in Hirosaki, a village located in the northern prefecture of Aomori, Japan. After obtaining a Masters in Fine Arts from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music in Nagoya, Japan in 1987, Nara moved to Germany to study at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, from which he graduated in 1993. Until 2000, Nara continued to live and work in Germany before returning to Japan, and is currently based out of Tokyo. Nara’s artwork primarily features depictions of children with oversized heads, in a style directly influenced by children’s book illustrations. His children are often sullen and angry, imbued with the angst and rebellion of Nara’s Punk rock influence. Nara’s work spans a diverse range of media, from postcards to canvas paintings to three-dimensional sculptural works, and has acquired a cult-like following as varied as his methods.
