DVD Review: TRAVELING WITH YOSHITOMO NARA
Viz Pictures has expanded its repertoire of live-action and animated features to include a series of documentaries known as the New People Artist Series.
Each documentary in this series focuses on noted Japanese artists. The
first volume in the series covers a few years in the life of the famous
artist Yoshitomo Nara. The film is simply called Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara.
Yoshitomo Nara's name might not immediately ring a bell with Western audiences, but his illustrations, paintings, and sculptures of doe-eyed little girls and animals have been the subject of numerous art exhibits, and have infiltrated international pop culture through album covers, posters, t-shirts, and toys. In addition to his paintings and drawings, Nata is well-known for his installation projects. He and his collaborators build one or more small houses on the site of each exhibition space. Inside each house is a series of art works, and Nata often uses one of the houses as an on-site work space.
Yoshitomo Nara's name might not immediately ring a bell with Western audiences, but his illustrations, paintings, and sculptures of doe-eyed little girls and animals have been the subject of numerous art exhibits, and have infiltrated international pop culture through album covers, posters, t-shirts, and toys. In addition to his paintings and drawings, Nata is well-known for his installation projects. He and his collaborators build one or more small houses on the site of each exhibition space. Inside each house is a series of art works, and Nata often uses one of the houses as an on-site work space.
Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara follows
the artist to exhibitions in the United Kingdom, United States,
Thailand, and South Korea through 2005 to 2007. These trips were
essentially stops leading up to the creation of his largest
project: a collaboration with graf, a group of artists in Osaka, called AtoZ. The project, which was stage in the artist's hometown of Hirosaki, involved the creation of over 20 small houses filed with paintings, drawings, and sculptures inside a giant warehouse space.
At times, one gets
the feeling that director Koji Sakabe lucked out by getting such
thorough access to the film's subject. Nara is a fascinating individual
whose celebrity status gives rise to numerous issues. Thus, it would
seem difficult not to get some very interesting material after
following him around for months. Koji Sakabe's voluminous footage
is full of great moments. However, the assembly of the material is
good, but not extraordinary. The film is edited in a way that tends to
assume that the viewer is familiar with both Nata's work and his status
as a famous artist. The lack of context makes the film a bit
disorienting for those unfamiliar with Nata's work (i.e., why is
everbody treating him like a rock star?). However, the approach does
help (intentionally or otherwise) establish one of the film's larger
themes: the contrast between an artist's commitment to his or her work,
and the commitment to others.
The
documentary reveals Yoshitomo Nara to be a humble, industrious and
savvy person who has achieved unexpected success. His work has
attracted ardent fans across the world, many of whom seem to be more
interested in his celebrity status than his work. Near the beginning of
the film, the girl is shown attending a South Korean fan club meeting
where she gets to meet Nata. The artist comments that the girl was the
only one at the meeting that was actually interested in his work. Later
in the film, the girl's mother reveals that caused the young girl to
express her interest in being an artist. This material is presented in a
schmaltzy manner with sad music, but an interesting point about
the relationship between artists and fans is communicated. Along the
same lines, the film's portrayal of Nara's interactions with graf, as well as his entourage of
volunteers, handlers, and friends, indicate another set of unexpected
attachments arising from his fame.
Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara is a good example of how making an interesting documentary is largely a matter of picking the right subject. Yoshitomo Nara is a fascinating person, and this documentary manages to tease some deep insights out of what could have easily been just a well-shot travelogue.
Traveling with Yoshitomo Nara is a good example of how making an interesting documentary is largely a matter of picking the right subject. Yoshitomo Nara is a fascinating person, and this documentary manages to tease some deep insights out of what could have easily been just a well-shot travelogue.
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