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5

Yoshitomo Nara

Six works: Untitled (Who Snatched the Babies)

Estimate
HK$1,200,000 - 1,800,000
€144,000 - 217,000
$154,000 - 231,000
HK$2,480,000
Lot Details
(ii) coloured pencil on paper
(i), (iii)-(vi) pen and coloured pencil on paper
Each 29.5 x 21 cm (11 5/8 x 8 1/4 in.)
Executed in 2001-2002.
Catalogue Essay
Executed between 2001 and 2002, Untitled (Who Snatched The Babies) presents a group of six drawings, encompassing a series of mischievous behaviours and internal monologues of a child with short hair and neat fringe: from the frustration felt from being trapped in ball and chain, to the perplexity of being at a crossroads; from the excitement of riding a roller coaster, to singing along to the self-reflexive and aptly named hit, "The End of the 20th Century" (20世紀の終わり) by the Japanese rock band The Strummers. These figures serve as vehicles of the collective anxiety of the lost innocence in Japan’s youth in the face of cultural upheaval, and nowhere is this more convincingly depicted than in this emotionally charged portrayal of the fragility and uncertainty faced by the small child.

Yoshitomo Nara

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