Yoshitomo Nara arrested in New York

nara

A famous Japanese artist has been arrested in New York City [Via Jean Snow]:

Yoshitomo Nara, a contemporary Japanese pop artist known for sculptures and paintings of doe-eyed figures, was arrested in late February for tagging graffiti in the Union Square subway station, a New York Police Department official said Monday.

The artist was arrested at 3:10 a.m. on Feb. 27 and was charged with criminal mischief, possession of graffiti instruments, making graffiti and resisting arrest, detective Martin Speechley told Kyodo News in a phone interview.

Nara, who has already been released, has said that he enjoyed the experience of being held in a jail cell and that it was “like in the movies.”

[image of the graffiti taken from The Art Collectors via Watashi to Tokyo]

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http://musingsofabipolarfreak.blogspot.com Rick L.

Yeah, that wall looked so beautiful, before he drew on it.
leitmotiv

Monster gaijin.
Dan

Definitely enjoyed his gallery in Hirosaki.
hl

I could see a fine, a reprimand, and making him buy supplies and clean it up or repaint. But two days in jail?

Wow, I didn’t know that graffiti was punished so harshly.

Ikunochan

Hmm…If I were caught vandalizing some location in Japan, I’d probably be deported. Seems like a lucky slap on the wrist for a spoiled brat from here.

Eddie

No you wouldn’t. What are you talking about?

Ikunochan

Do you know that for sure? By comparison, I’m interested in what the penalty would be in Japan for vandalization of public property, whether by foreigners or Japanese.
The Overthinker

A fine, no more than 50,000 yen (save in Nara). I cannot imagine you would be deported.
http://www.47news.jp/CN/200406/CN2004062201001523.html
Ikunochan

Thank you Overthinker, for the link.

It’s interesting to know, though when I said that, I meant it somewhat sarcastically since I’ve read so many accounts of Japanese police supposedly harassing foreigners just for innocently riding down the street on their bikes. It made me wonder what they might do to one caught defacing public property.
ponta

http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/racism-in-japan-%E4%BA%BA%E7%A8%AE%E5%B7%AE%E5%88%A5%E5%A4%A7%E5%9C%8B%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%EF%BC%9F
I think this is a balanced account of J police “harassing” foreigners.”
Ikunochan

I love it, and I absolutely agree!

Stanley

Yeah, in New York City and many other major cities there has been a boom in graffiti related incidents. In response, the pigs are really sticking it to artists/vandals and throwing some of the more prominent taggers in jail for months to years along with fines that need to be paid.
Abby-Sophia

If you’ve ever had to scrub graffiti off something, you’d think that the 2 days wasn’t long enough.

Randwulf

And if it’s done on red brick there is no scrubbing it off, you have to get it sandblasted, and so that sandblasted area doesn’t stick out, you get the whole wall done. Yeah, 2 days is not nearly enough.

Space Cakes

This makes me want to dust off my Fantomas “Suspended Animation” album.
tyson

He was kept in jail for more than just drawing on the wall. Probably started arguing with the police and started a scuffle.

Although, having seen graffiti in NYC, I personally think he was arrested for drawing that ugly ass picture with lame text. “Cool here”?
mike

his name is Yoshitomo, not Yoshimoto (in the headline). See the news blurb.
ray

I would pay money to have that piece of wall where he graffitied.

I freaking love his work
Pingback: Wide Angle Permission Wall Graffiti | Austin Graffiti
http://www.zdwonline.de Haf

“possession of graffiti instruments”, WTF? What are graffiti instruments anyway? I thought they use mostly cans of spray paint? Since when is the posession of those illegal?

“Looks, he’s got a lighter, that’s a marijuana instrument, arrest him!”
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jewlienyan

Haha, the life of the artist! I could imagine him drawing that picture going “Oh Snap I got caught again!” and dashing for it.
Namimori Hibari

Pretty extreme. I can understand two days though. Yashitomo is my freaking idol! Did he have to pay a fee at all? Walls need more color on them, I think that two days was a bit much. Then again, it is better than having to clean the wall…

Yoshitomo Nara arrested in New York

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