{"id":60100,"date":"2023-05-10T15:24:38","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T14:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=60100"},"modified":"2025-04-28T16:35:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T15:35:38","slug":"yoshitomo-nara-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/yoshitomo-nara-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoshitomo Nara exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/narasmall.jpg\" alt=\"Museum front and exhibition sign\" class=\"wp-image-60118\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/narasmall.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/narasmall-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Sometimes you get a double whammy of joy from a solo exhibition in contemporary art. You have the works, of course, but also the artist themselves might have determined the layout. As is the case with Yoshitomo Nara&#8217;s <em>All My Little Words<\/em> exhibition at the Albertina Modern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Focus on the artist&#8217;s drawings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chronological layout<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8230;and excellent music, I might add<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Runs May 10 &#8211; Nov 1, 2023<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/albertina-modern\/\">Albertina Modern overview<\/a> for visitors<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/exhibitions\/\">Art exhibitions<\/a> in Vienna<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">All my little words<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/yoshitomonara1.jpg\" alt=\"View of the Nara exhibition\" class=\"wp-image-60098\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/yoshitomonara1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/yoshitomonara1-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Yoshitomo Nara, exhibition view: Yoshitomo Nara &#8211; ALBERTINA MODERN; courtesy of the artist and Pace Gallery | \u00a9 Yoshitomo Nara | Photo: \u00a9 Sandro E. E. Zanzinger)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I recently started drawing classes, a prospect that probably has my school art teacher weeping into her tea and wondering if she can wipe her name from my school records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So any exhibition with a focus on drawing, rather than the more usual paintings or sculptures, has my guaranteed interest. Especially when the artist in question is a renowned global figure like Yoshitomo Nara, perhaps known best for his &#8220;Angry Girls.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nara&#8217;s stylized images in <em>All my Little Words<\/em> give these young girls a defiant self-confidence behind what might be seen as a more innocent aesthetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A closer look often reveals (to me, anyway) a weary cynicism edged with grumpiness: a fair response given the world we older generations seem intent on leaving for the kids. A degree of vulnerability creeps in, too, particularly in more recent works, where the faces feel a little sadder and more accusing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those final images seem to ask&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>So what are you going to do about it?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It&#8221; being the state of things. What indeed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many drawings remind me of comic con culture, which is an environment where everyone can be as they are without fear: an unexpected utopia for those who society often wishes to sideline or force into behavioural constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/yoshitomonara2.jpg\" alt=\"Installation within the Yoshitomo Nara exhibition\" class=\"wp-image-60099\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/yoshitomonara2.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/yoshitomonara2-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Yoshitomo Nara, exhibition view: My Drawing Room 2008 (exterior view), bedroom included, 2008; courtesy of the artist and Pace Gallery | \u00a9 Yoshitomo Nara | Photo: \u00a9 Sandro E. E. Zanzinger)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The images certainly suggest an artist of thought and nuance. Back in 2018, Nara himself <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yoshitomonara.com\/en\/notes\/2018-001\">described<\/a> his work so:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I have been drawing as though I were breathing. Or taking notes. Or thinking.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>As such, all sorts of influences seem to lie behind the output we see in the exhibition, from music through to the lived moment and sociopolitical expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The different paper materials &#8211; from corrugated cardboard to the backs of envelopes &#8211; add a layer of immediacy and authenticity, too: nothing feels contrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though drawings dominate, the works on display include some paintings, sculptures and a large installation that creates a version of a studio environment that offers insight into the artist&#8217;s modus operandi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That same installation includes a soundtrack. Yoshitomo Nara is clearly a man of musical taste, and I found myself wishing we had the playlist. And we do! (Look in one of the corners of the room for a list and QR code.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets\">Dates, tickets &amp; tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Enjoy Nara&#8217;s mastery from May 10th to November 1st, 2023. A valid entrance ticket for or from the Albertina Modern includes the exhibition (the museum has no permanent display).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For further contemporary drawing, the Albertina has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/baselitz-100-drawings\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"60652\">George Baselitz exhibition<\/a> (until September 17th, 2023) for some of the same period showcasing his recent donation to the museum and the Morgan Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For drawing that&#8217;s a mite less contemporary than Nara or Baselitz, the main Albertina museum also has the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/bruegel-drawings\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"55769\">Bruegel and his Time<\/a> exhibition (only until May 24th, 2023, though) and then the standout <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/michelangelo\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"62279\">Michelangelo &amp; Beyond<\/a> exhibition from mid-September, 2023 until mid-January, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get there<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Just follow the tips on the main <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/albertina-modern\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"21859\">Albertina Modern page<\/a>. (The location is central, just on the edge of the old town.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Karlsplatz 5, 1010 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1zfWanf5rPBbnTLLDuah2uixe-Nw\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sometimes you get a double whammy of joy from a solo exhibition in contemporary art. You have the works, of course, but also the artist themselves might have determined the layout. As is the case with Yoshitomo Nara&#8217;s All My Little Words exhibition at the Albertina Modern. All my little words (Yoshitomo Nara, exhibition view: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":60118,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-60100","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-museums","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60100"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82896,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60100\/revisions\/82896"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}