If you are looking for an opportunity to acquire your own coveted artworks by contemporary artists like Yoshitomo Nara, Takashi Murakami and KAWS, don't miss out the coming spring sales at China Guardian Hong Kong. They are offering an array of fun and trendy selection for collectors as well as fashionistas. We have picked up some highlights for you.
Estimated at HK$2.5m - 3.5m, Yoshitomo Nara’s This is How it Feels When Your Word Means Nothing at All depicts a big-headed young girl wrapped in elastic bandage, with a caption “What’s wrong with Mum”. The young girl, a repeated subject in Nara’s works, seems innocent and vulnerable at first glance but at the same time alienated and lonely.
Such ambivalence shown in Nara’s works is possibly related to the artist’s youth. In his teens, Nara moved to Nagakute to study art at the Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, eventually leaving Japan for Germany in 1988. He ended up living in Germany for 12 years and become ‘alone’ there, and that reminded him of his lonely childhood, being the youngest of three boys of working parents.
Doggy Radio×Rimowa, also created by Yoshitomo Nara, carries an estimate of HK$75,000 - 100,000. After he got into college, Nara asked himself about things that he really likes. He finally chose something that he truly loves — for example, dogs. In Doggy Radio, Nara tried to present the idea that, as his put it, "dogs are hanging around in my room" because he missed his childhood. It serves as a reminder telling him why he first started painting and not to forget his motivation.
It is a properly functioning radio with FM radio, bluetooth, USB port, headphone jack and Yamaha speaker system included.
Another noteworthy lot is Takashi Murakami’s Murakami×ComplexCON Mr.Dob, carrying an estimate of HK$30,000 - 50,000.
Takashi Murakami is best known for blurring the line between high and low arts. As Murakami wrote for a 2001 retrospective of his work, he wanted to create something that would leave a lasting impression. He said, "I set out to investigate the secret of market survivability – the universality of characters such as Mickey Mouse, Sonic the Hedgehog, Doraemon, Miffy, Hello Kitty”. That inspired the creation of his most ubiquitous and enduring character.
KAWS
Hajime Sorayama
If you are a huge fan of Japanese culture, you may notice this pair of figure titled No Future Company reminisces the works by Hajime Sorayama, Japanese illustrator known for his erotic portrayals of feminized robots. The X-ed out eyes on the figure are a signature mortif of American pop artist KAWS. In fact, this set of works is a collaborative project by KAWS and Hajime Sorayama, estimated at HK$130,000 - 180,000.
Selected Highlights
Yoshitomo Nara. This is How it Feels When Your Word Means Nothing at All
Lot no.: 58
Created in: 1995
Size: 51 x 40cm
Provenance:
- Opera Gallery, Hong Kong
- Important Private Collection, Asia
Estimate: HK$2,500,000 - 3,500,000
KAWS x Hajime Sorayama. No Future Company
Lot no.: 95
Created in: 2008
Size: 32 x 21 x 20cm（x2）
Estimate: HK$130,000 - 180,000
Yoshitomo Nara. Doggy Radio x Rimowa
Lot no.: 96
Created in: 2011
Size: 33 x 22 x 42cm (radio)｜36 x 50 x 24cm (suitcase)
Provenance: Private Collection, Asia
Estimate: HK$75,000 - 100,000
Takashi Murakami. Murakami×ComplexCON Mr.Dob
Lot no.: 94
Created in: 2016
Size: 24 x 27 x 19.5cm
Provenance: Private Collection, Asia
Estimate: HK$30,000 - 50,000
Auction details
Auction house: China Guardian (Hong Kong)
Sale: Asian 20th Century and Contemporary Art
Venue: Ballroom, 3/F, JW Marriott Hotel, Hong Kong
Viewing:
2018/3/31｜10am - 9pm
2018/4/1｜10am - 6pm
Auction: 2018/4/2｜11am