WORKS ｜ NAONORI YAGO

NAONORI YAGO

Born in Shizuoka in 1986. Graduated from Musashino Art University, Department of Visual Communication Design in 2008, after which he joined Hakuhodo in 2009. Affiliated with SIX since 2014. Major awards include Tokyo ADC, JAGDA New Designer Award, D&AD, NY ADC and ONE SHOW.

Contact

yagonaonori@gmail.com

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Masterpieces I saw in my dream

The drawings are based on masterpieces of world art and the artist's dreams. The drawing technique mirrors the structure of dreams with cuts and blurriness. Among the artists whose works was used for the reference are Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Hokusai, Monet, Van Gogh and Jakuchu. Exhibited at BnA Kyoto at an exhibition under the title "Suite room", which gave the impulse to Yago's newest work, "Dreaming in an art hotel".

The last show

JAGDA’S last New Designer Award 2023 exhibition was held in Kumamoto. As during all other exhibitions, Yago's work was exhibited along with the works of Shun Ishizuka and Kako Fujita. This time, the theme of the visual was “the last show”. The poster, designed by Yago, plays with the word “kuma” in “Kumamoto” (that means “bear” in Japanese), and the history of Kumamoto as a part of the ancient Hi Province, the province of fire.

Second Life for a Graphic

A work created out of elements of a project for a client. The red ink is used along with water, creating an unusual blurry effect.

The New Animal Caricatures

“The New Animal Caricatures” were born out of “A Bird of Useless Elegance”, with the artist continuing to explore the theme of weakness. The series started with an image of an old peacock and evolved into a number of images of animals and mythical creatures, all continuing to explore what being weak really means.

“The New Animal Caricatures”, the exhibition

The exhibition was held at Graf porch in Osaka, a gallery owned by the furniture brand Graf. Among other works, Yago exhibited washi prints and works layering original drawings and prints. The exhibition questioned what “original” and “copy” means, while attempting to explore the fine line between art and design.

a very merry usual day 2023

Created for the DVD of the artist Chara's live show.

A fairy

In summer 2023, Yago was in charge of a design workshop for kids at Design hub in Tokyo Midtown. He strongly believes that when children work hard making something, it will turn into a precious memory that will keep shining within them, and may change their future. Thus the purpose of the workshop was to give children the opportunity to experience this shining.

A Bird of Useless Elegance

The work that was born out of the artist's doubts about the nature of design. Yago's discovery of design as weak and powerless lead him to drawing a peacock, whose only ability is to spread its beautiful feathers. Same as design, the peacock can do nothing beyond just being beautiful. Yago has said:”I wanted people to feel the beauty and strength not in the beauty of the wings themselves, but in the way they strive to be beautiful”.

casa tree

A poster made for a Christmas tree brand "casa tree" that delivers fir trees to customers for the Christmas season and then takes them back to a farm in Nasu, Tochigi, until next year. Since Yago have always dreamt of reimagining the aesthetics of a traditional Japanese Christmas that is based on simple colour palettes and over-commercialization, this project has given him a chance to suggest his own vision of the holiday.

KAVKA

The sleeves for Kavka Shishido’s LP record “Forever and ever”. Because Kavka’s stage name means “crow” in Czech, the design shows two crows playing in a wheat field. Since beer is mentioned in the lyrics, crows hold red nuts in their beaks as a tribute to the mythical God Ebisu, portrayed on a can of a well-known Japanese beer brand, Yebisu.

“Little Snow White”, the book

Series for KOGANE BY SACRAN, based on the photographs taken together with the video director Suguru Takeuchi in Hokkaido, and the story of Grimm’s Little Snow White. The book includes the text of Grimm’s tale of Little Snow White and the edits of the pictures.

Little Snow White

Series for KOGANE BY SACRAN, based on the photographs taken together with the video director Suguru Takeuchi in Hokkaido, and the story of Grimm’s Little Snow White. Handwritten letters are wetted with water to give the impression of melting snow, water from the Kogane River, or Sacran lotion.

Hope

Another work created in collaboration with the artist's daughter. Yago draws inspiration from the freedom of the child, of the way her work starts from the lines themselves, not the conceptualizing. Trying to learn that freedom, the artist traced his daughter's drawings on his computer.

A kitten has arrived

This work has been created by the artist in collaboration with his 3 years old daughter, who wrote the story. Yago has designed her drawing and writing on his PC. The story is the following: “A kitten has arrived” Once upon a time, there was an elephant named Hanako. Hanako went to a park, stumbling on the way. A crow flew away, stealing a bento. The sun fought for the bento. The crow got angry. Then, Miki-chan and Maki-chan Cut the crow into pieces. The sky turned into a monster and fell. Then, the rain started. Then, a poop baby was born. He cried: “wah-wah”. The rain baby cried: “Where is my mama?” The rain girls held each other's hands. The cherry kicked the ball and ate bugs. Someone walked over a pool: splish-splash. The moon wore glasses, And raised her chin. The moon went to school. The bug dropped the cherry. Then he carried his house away. I stepped on an egg yolk. A Wiggly Worm got angry.

“The Absence of Rina Ohta”, the book

Published by Seigensha. Includes the contents of the eponymous exhibition and an essay by Rina Ohta.

The Absence of Rina Ohta

This work is a collaboration with Rina Ohta, Japanese fashion model and actress. The idea was born out of Rina’s accidental remark: “I wish I could transform into lines”. As a model, Rina’s work has always been centered around using her physical body. Thus, for Yago and Rina this series has been an attempt to express Rina’s existence in a different, non-physical way. Yago focuses on Rina’s life, objects that surround her, places she attends, trying to capture her by proxy. Thus, Rina’s absent physical body is substituted by other physical objects. The poses and the still lives are influenced by classical paintings such as Egon Schiele’s and Paul Cézanne’s. The choice of the fluorescent ink is motivated by Rina’s preference in her clothes.

Bow of Peach Wood and Arrow of Thistle

This work makes use of the Japanese omamori amulets, said to provide various forms of luck and protection. Having made over a hundred different patterns, the artist chose only three: snakes, bull’s skulls and tigers. The reason for such harsh selection is that the strongest religious talismans in Japan are always carefully chosen among others. There has also been a clothing line made based on these graphics. The clothes have been designed as “wearable talismans” – in Japan it is believed that you should always have your talisman with you. Exhibited in “Nick White”, a vintage shop in Tokyo.

Meimei no Kokorozashi

The work addresses the theme of death, making a clear reference through Japanese traditional symbolism: red spider lilies have been associated with the world of the dead for centuries. The artist also brings in his personal experience of having attended his grandfather's funeral. Since in Japan cremation is the most standard way of disposing of the bodies, Yago has mentioned that the colour of the bones – pink – that the relatives receive after the cremation, has stayed with him as colour that remains to be the evidence of the life of the person who passed away.

KOGANE BY SACRAN

A graphic design work that was inspired by the Kogane River (Fukuoka prefecture). The Kogane RIver ecosystem is known to be unusual, due to the influence of the ash from Mount Aso. The river has inspired the artist to express its rich flora and fauna: birds, dragonflies, wildflowers, wild grasses and butterflies. This work intends to question our established concept of “organic = kind and fragile”, raising the issue of what it means to survive in the wilderness and what kind of strength is necessary to remain alive. The techniques express this strength through cut-up images, rough texture, crude copy and pasting.

medusa

Created in the autumn of 2020, during the outbreak of coronavirus. First released on instagram. Inspired by Japanese omamori amulets, said to provide various forms of luck and protection. Drawn by hand, with the exception of the eyes and tongues of the snakes that were added digitally.

Biollan

These 11 works were created in six months during the Covid-19 pandemic. They were inspired by the flowers, their transience, but also their ability to transform and become beautiful through withering, to overcome decay. All the works are drawn on A4 copy paper in pastels, which recalls flower pollen due to the powdery texture. A4 copy paper is a tribute to Yago’s job as an art director.