Deeply influenced and informed by manga (Japanese comics), cartoons, Disney and formal Japanese painting, Nara's meticulously constructed sculptures express a detached, unique and complex psychology in which innocence, melancholy and cruelty are inextricably mixed.

In 1998 and 1999, Nara has had solo exhibitions at The Institute of Visual Arts at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, The Ginza Art Space, Tokyo, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.