BLUM Los Angeles presents My Imperfect Self, the tenth exhibition with the gallery by Yoshitomo Nara, marking three decades since his first U.S. show, Pacific Babies, debuted at Blum & Poe in 1995. Curated by Yeewan Koon, this exhibition brings together new sculptural works alongside paintings and drawings, reflecting Nara’s continued exploration of form, material, and process. The showcase offers a rare look at his evolving engagement with clay, a medium that has played an increasingly central role in his practice.
At the center of the exhibition are eleven bronze sculptures, each originating as small clay studies that were later scaled up while retaining their initial hand-formed qualities. These heads, with their uneven surfaces and exaggerated features, deviate from the more polished aesthetic often associated with Nara’s past work. The pieces appear both playful and unsettling, with gouged-out eyes, carved expressions, and thick layers of textured hair. Medusa turns inward, her expression marked by deep-set lines, while Long Tall Peace Sister, the largest of the group, incorporates floral patterns made using traditional tile molds. Each sculpture carries the visible traces of its making, emphasizing process over refinement.
Nara’s deepened focus on sculpture can be traced back to 2011, following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Grappling with the event’s emotional impact, he found himself unable to paint and instead turned to clay, using his entire body to shape large blocks of the material. This physical engagement became a way to process grief and reestablish a connection with his work. When these early clay forms were later cast in bronze, they retained the imprints of his hands, preserving a sense of immediacy.
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A subsequent influence came from Nara’s time spent in Tobiu, a village in Northern Japan with Ainu cultural ties. Working in isolation, he began shaping small, spontaneous clay figures, embracing the imperfections of the material. These early forms laid the foundation for his current series, where misproportioned heads and asymmetrical features challenge conventional expectations of beauty. Unlike his past depictions of children with softened, rounded faces, these figures feel more abstract – closer to raw, instinctive gestures.
While sculpture has taken on a greater role, Yoshitomo Nara continues to revisit themes from his early career. His paintings in My Imperfect Self echo elements found in his latest sculptures, particularly through the manipulation of color and texture. Blurry Mind, one of the standout canvases in the show, builds layers of pigment to create a glowing, atmospheric presence. The painting’s subject, a childlike figure with indistinct edges, feels in dialogue with the irregular contours of his sculpted heads. This interplay between media reinforces the artist’s process of dismantling and reconstructing his own visual language.
Yoshitomo Nara also draws inspiration from lesser-known works in his own archive, particularly early drawings where figures take on elongated or compressed proportions. By returning to ideas that once felt unresolved, he uncovers new possibilities within past imperfections. His latest works are less about refinement and more about allowing space for irregularity, inviting viewers to see beauty in the unfinished and unexpected.
Over the past decade, Nara’s approach has become increasingly introspective. While his global recognition has led to major institutional exhibitions, his personal practice has slowed, favoring deeper engagement with materiality. Whether through clay, bronze, or paint, his recent works emphasize the act of making itself – each mark, scrape, and layer holding a record of time and touch.
My Imperfect Self presents this shift in full form, offering a view into an artist who continues to challenge his own boundaries. Through sculptural forms that resist perfection, Yoshitomo Nara embraces the unpredictable nature of creation, allowing process and presence to take precedence over polish.
BLUM Los Angeles from January 18 to March 22, 2025.
