In "The Girl with the Knife in Her Side" Yoshitomo Nara (b.1959, Hirosaki, Japan) renders his characteristic mischievous youth in sculptural form. Standing off against the world with wide blue eyes, the girl’s innocent appearance is quickly unravelled by the knife she wields by her side. Pairing the vulnerability of childhood with an aggressive action, Nara translates a powerful psychological tension into plastic form. The spirit of rebellion within the work holds close ties to contemporary culture and music. Speaking of this affinity, Nara remarked that “The children in my works are not aggressive. With the knives, the kids can generate power over their lives. I’m not making art to give the viewer hope. I’m articulating or producing a scream for them. Kurt Cobain was not making songs to give hope, he was simply articulating that generation’s scream. I’m expressing current conditions.”