こちらを見つめ返す印象的な絵画。日々自由に描かれるドローイング。木、FRP、陶、ブロンズ、そしてインスタレーションなど、さまざまな素材によってそこに生命を吹き込む立体作品……

奈良美智（1959-）の作品は1990年代半ば以降、国籍や文化的背景を問わず世界中の多くのオーディエンスをひきつけてきました。近年では、色彩を繊細に塗り重ねて描く瞑想的な絵画を中心に、観るものを内省へと導く精神性を備えた作品が高く評価されています。

すぐれた絵画は過去から未来までのあらゆる要素をその画面に圧縮しています。奈良の絵画には、作家が出会った美術、文学、音楽、歴史、風景、人々などとの数知れない記憶が折り重なり、日々培われる感性が根元的なかたちや色面として画面に表れています。だからこそ奈良の作品に向かい合うとき、わたしたちはそこに描き出される本質的な人間の感情に自己を投影し、ときに自由や変革への意志、そして未来への希望をそれぞれに感じ取るのでしょう。

奈良が学生時代を過ごした長久手の丘陵にほど近い美術館で開催されるこの展覧会は、作家によれば30年越しの「卒業制作」。1987年から最新作までの作品100余点により作家の歩みを紹介するとともに、美術を志す前の奈良の感性を育んだレコードのジャケットや書籍などを展示することでそのルーツをたどります。

「for better or worse」、すなわち「どのような運命になろうとも」、奈良がこれまで描いてきた、そしてこれから描いていくすべての作品へむけた誓いの展覧会です。

Nara’s artworks have a sincerity that resonates with viewers regardless of their culture, social background, age or gender. They are poignant yet psychologically charged meditations on solitude and memory. By evoking universally shared emotions and experiences, Nara allows viewers to relate to his work on a deeply personal level.

From the late 1980s, Nara spent a decade based in Düsseldorf and Cologne, Germany, where he developed his artistic language—figurative images drawn from memories and the profound solitude he felt during his childhood in northern Japan. Early on, his practice was characterized by bold compositions, be it in richly layered paintings on canvas, spontaneous and emotionally direct drawings, or installations of found objects. From the mid-1990s, Nara gained increasing recognition, establishing himself not only in the international art world but also in the broader pop cultural consciousness. Since the 2000s, he has further refined his compositions to depict figures that gaze directly at the viewer. These paintings have an almost translucent quality—a radiance that lingers in the mind.

Nara’s travels all over the world, his encounters with people from countless different walks of life, and his love of art, history, literature and music have all shaped his sensibility. The emotional residue of these experiences is evident in his work. Believing in art as a means to form connections, he leaves open a space for a variety of different readings and emotional responses, ranging from catharsis to political defiance and hope.

“For better or for worse” is a wedding vow: a lifetime commitment from one person to another. This exhibition is Nara’s promise to his works—they are his past, his present, and his future. They are his destiny.

Hours and Admission
10:00-17:30 [last admission: 17:00]
Closed on Mondays [open on Ju. 17, Aug. 14 and Sep. 18]

Adults 1,500[1,300] yen
High school and University Students 1,000 [800] yen
Junior high school age and under free
*Bracketed figures represent the fees for groups and advanced tickets
*Free entry: High school students in Toyota, the disables and the older than 75 living in Toyota

Organizers
Organized by: Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Chukyo TV. Broadcasting Co., Ltd.
Coorganized by: The Chunichi Shimbun Co., Ltd.
Assisted by: Aichi Prefectural Board of Education
Supported by: Blum and Poe, PACE, Yamato Logistics Co., Ltd., Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Co., Ltd.