Naoto Hattori was born in 1975 in Yokohama, Japan. Raised as a child in the Japanese traditional arts and culture, he plunged into modern pop culture as a teenager, becoming enthralled in board sports like surfing and skateboarding, street art and graffiti. He studied graphic design in Tokyo, before moving to New York to study at the School of Visual Arts in 2000. He currently lives and works in New York City.
A mass of influences, especially early surrealist legends Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Hieronymus Bosch and Salvador Dali, Hattori’s work show an astonishing range, from sublime portraits of robotic-like women to bizarre landscapes populated by creatures straight out of a nightmare. His Japanese influences are evident in his penchant for kawaii (Japanese for cute) sensibilities.
Inspired by Buddhist philosophy and proverbs, Hattori’s works often deal with the inner workings of the mind and eyes and heads (both human and animal) are the focal point. The chaos that often runs rampant inside a creative brain is visualized as geometric shapes and biomorphic masses.
Not surprisingly, Hattori has this to say about his singular art and vision: “My vision is like a dream, whether it’s a sweet dream, a nightmare, or just a trippy dream. I try to see what’s really going on in my mind, and that’s a practice to increase my awareness in stream-of-consciousness creativity. I try not to label or think about what something is supposed to be, I just take it in as it is and paint whatever I see in my mind with no compromise. That way, I create my own vision.”
Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the dark yet inspired dreamscapes of Naoto Hattori.
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- Naoto Hattori
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- Reminiscence 2
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- Angel
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- Genetic Creator
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- Mind Form 3
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- Bunny Da Sordsman
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- Cliff Dweller
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- Conscious
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- Daydreamer
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- Earth Deity
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- Mind Elegance
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- Cloud Maker
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- Good Samaritan
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- Eudaimonia
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- Idea Maker
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- Joy Ride
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- Crystal Ball 2
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- Recollection 7
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- Kakashi
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- Ballerina
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- Mind Mirror
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- Meet The Knowledge
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- Nopperabo
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- The Birth Of Venus
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- Mind Form
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- The Judge
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- Mind Creating
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- Phoenix
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- Flower Gift
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- The North Wind and The Sun
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- Recollection 2
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- Batman
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- Solar Deity
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- Phish 1
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- Soul Streaming
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- Cub Eater
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- St. Hand
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- Stuck
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- Tonguing
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- Telepathy
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- I Wonder
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- The Moment Of Truth
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- Encounter
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- Investigation Of Mind
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- Sentimental
Check out Naoto Hattori’s website to see a full range of his astonishing work.
Stephen Kelly Creative 
Reblogged this on Mente Inefable.
Cool! Thanks for that!
So much here seems so disembodied, even when there are “bodies” there! The overwhelming focus on heads and busts, for example, far outstrips the full-size figures.
HI Victoria … I love his perspective, the point of view he pushes the viewer into seeing. i’m thinking that his preoccupation with the workings of the inner mind is responsible for the focus heads and busts. perhaps the disembodiment of his work is a statement on how impersonal life in these modern times can be. really, really interesting stuff!
Stephen, I have never seen his art before! I am so blown away of how each piece is something so different and astonishing! I did pick many favorites!!
I hope you don’t mind that I reblog your link on my reblog page?
Hi Judy … by all means!!! I’m all about sharing amazing art, and this stuff certainly fits that bill. I personally find his work mesmerizing; like you, I have many favorites. Glad you like this very cool art!
Once again, you are providing me with a “new” artist to follow – fantabulous stuff!
Excellent!!! Glad I can be of service. And fantabulous is a great word to describe it. I really like the psychedelic aspect of his work.
The expression in eyes and the closed eyes , have an altogether mystic effect..of looking or blinding ..very strong expressions.
Hi there, kalabalu, and thanks for visiting. Indeed, it’s the expressions on the faces of his subjects that attracts me to his work. They’re at once cartoonish and deeply human. I find his work baffling and totally intriguing.
yes..very baffling
Another fascinating artist you’ve featured here, Stephen. Amazing and bizarre, and actually quite beautiful in many cases. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent … mission accomplished! Agreed on all points! Very, very strange, but really beautiful at the same time. I find myself just analyzing a lot of these works. They’re endlessly interesting!
Yes, they really are. And some of the women seem stunningly fascinating. 🙂
Once more…… amazing!!!!
Thanks Ioanna … glad you liked this really intriguing work! Got lots more coming up on the horizon too!
I am really curious…. where do you find all those people???? I remember you saying you were gallery-related but you are gooooood! You always present us with such interesting artists!
Hi Ioanna … I’ve been interested in art and artists since I was a kid, and a lot of the work I present are old favorites I’ve gleaned over the years. But I’m also always checking out new stuff, either online or at some of the many amazing art galleries here in San Francisco. I really love sharing the work of the world’s amazing artists!
I am glad you share everything you find Steven! You make my world richer! 🙂
This is scary. My first thought was that I am very glad that I don’t have to live with his mind – that some very weird stuff goes on in there. Then I began to identify with pictures – and thinking – Yes, that’s me. By allowing himself to be aware of what is happening in his mind, he is capturing our shared human experiences – plus adding a few of his own unique ones. Thanks for another good post.
Hi there Pat. It makes me really happy to read your thought processes abut how you came to identify with some of Hattori’s work. I really like he explores the mind and the subconscious to find the themes of his work. A lot of it looks like the stuff of really weird dreams, and I’m not ready to wake up yet. Glad you found his work as intriguing as I do!
Hi Stephen!!!! Wow..Incredible! It is true: Surrealism´s influence is there..For instance: to me, it is easy to see Dali on “Meet the Knowledge”…Even Magritte on “Mind Creating”..
I think his women are beautiful…I like very much “Sentimental”..
Thanks for sharing…Again!
Have a nice weekend!
Hi Ilargia! Exactly … he learned and is influenced by the best of the surrealist masters. ‘Soul Streaming’ pays a huge debt of influence to Dali as well. Google Giuseppe Arcimboldo … Hattori is really influenced by that famous 15th century surrealist.
Was it a good idea for me to look at these dreamscapes just before going to sleep? 😉 Thank you for showing us his works :O
Haha … hey Pau;a, I guess I should have put a disclaimer at the beginning: “Not Suitable For Viewing After 10 PM.”
Interesting stuff, though, eh?
oooops … Pau;a? What I meant to say was Pau>a.