Yoshitomo Nara
Traveling with Hazy Humid Day
Meta Space, Taipei

Travel has long been an important inspiration for Yoshitomo Nara’s work, and Taiwan—given its proximity to the celebrated artist’s native Japan, as well as the historical ties between both island nations—seems like a natural locale to return to again and again. Nara’s presentation at Meta Space, “Traveling with Hazy Humid Day,” was the fourth stop in a 10-year touring exhibition across Taiwan, which started in 2023 at Kaohsiung’s Newei Arts Center. 

The show took place in Jinguashi, a former mining town in New Taipei City, unfolding across four floors in a former seaside Taiwan Power Company building now overgrown with lush plants. Here, visitors encountered Nara’s paintings, drawings, and ceramics against the scenic backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, with multiple windows offering coastal views that were especially poignant, as the sea has played an outsized role in Nara’s career.