村上隆のインスタグラム(takashipom) - 7月17日 12時50分

I went to see “for better of worse,” Yoshitomo Nara’s solo exhibition at the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.

My thoughts on the show came in a few distinct layers:
1. For all the things he has been going through, wow, he has done an amazing job.
2. The checklist of the show looks like a “greatest hits” compilation.
3. The way he installs and presents his work is truly masterful.

But what resonated with me more strongly or, rather, what I could sympathize with the most was the note that was being distributed at the entrance. On the paper was a list of things the visitors shouldn’t do, from taking a photo with the artist to giving presents to him―that is, rules about keeping a respectful distance from the artist. In fact, Nara barely made an appearance at the reception. He mostly stayed in his greenroom as if hiding, and left the museum almost in stealth. I saw the mixture of Nara’s deepest despair toward the Japanese contemporary art audience and his fleeting dream of still wanting to be hopeful about them, which I found suffocating.

Nara is three years older then me, but I believe we made our artistic debuts around the same time. Despite the mellow style of his work, Nara looks cool in person. This, together with the straightforwardness of his writing, has made him enormously popular among women. His fans would storm his solo shows and big events held almost annually in Japan, and for many years I think he continued to respond to their expectations.
But now, he seems compelled to test himself, to ask the world whether or not his artwork is critically maturing. And yet he is questioning the eyes of the said audience in Japan and their implications; his uncertainty about them all but exploded and at the opening of his show, and he shut himself inside his greenroom.
With popularity consistently about five times greater than mine, Nara would only work with volunteers who gathered spontaneously at his side, and every time I saw videos about his studio practice I would be made to feel envious and frustrated. He has been something more than a rival to me.
My popularity in Japan has been abysmal, particularly with women due to my flabby appearance. ←PART 1

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