TAKASHI MURAKAMI

Takashi Murakami’s creative practice disrupted the established norms of theJapanese art scene by bringing together diverse sources, often seeminglycontradictory. The artist united the realms of high fine art and popularculture, as well as aesthetics and techniques from different eras and styles.Murakami’s fictional characters and vibrant visual narratives have permeatedglobal contemporary visual culture and significantly influenced the positionand identity of Japanese artists on the global art scene.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a large-scale painting titled 727 NYC.This artwork continues a recurring theme in Murakami’s work, titled from727 COSMETICS advertising signboard of a cosmetics company along theTokaido Shinkansen railway line, with the number representing the founder’sbirthday. The artist associated this number to an American airliner, the Boeing 727. The first piece of the series was crafted in 1996 and is presentlypart of the collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. As in hisprevious works, the composition centers around the cartoon-like characterMr. DOB originally created by Murakami in 1993 and consistently appearingin his extensive body of work. Drawing inspiration from the aesthetics ofanime and game, Mr. DOB was conceived as an emblem of contemporaryJapanese culture, offering a response to and reflection of how charactersinfluenced popular culture across many aspects of life nowadays. Thename Mr. DOB is derived from the Japanese slang “dobozite,” which can betranslated as “why?”. This famous character is characterized by sharp teethand large eyes, blending elements of both cuteness and eeriness, much likethe ambiguous combination found throughout Murakami’s practice. With thenumber “727” displayed prominently on front and splashes of black graffitiin the background of the painting, this piece also pays homage to New YorkCity, capturing the very essence of the city’s underground spirit. The cloudcarrying Mr. DOB is a nod to Shigisan Engi Emaki, (lit. “Legend of MountShigi Emaki”), a painted handscroll dating back to the Heian period, that wascreated during the latter half of the 12th century.

The exhibition features a series of acrylic paintings showcasing Murakami’siconic flower motifs in various formats, shapes, and colors. Murakami’sfascination with painting flowers can be traced back to his preparation forentrance exams at the Tokyo University of the Arts. For a period of time,creating floral images has become a daily ritual, forming a significant partof his artistic practice. Over the years, he has developed a distinctive visuallanguage that blends elements of traditional Japanese floral paintings,contemporary pop culture references, and historical allusions. This fusionmaterializes in the form of colorful vivid flowers with human expressions,densely populating his paintings. Murakami’s flowers evoke a range ofemotions, from cheerfulness to eeriness, from hope to sadness, and someserve as a reminder of dark moments in the history of modern Japan.

The group of three paintings in the exhibition portrays lucky cats in pixelated,old-fashioned digital aesthetics reminiscent of video games. Lucky cats, ormaneki-neko (“beckoning cat”), hold great cultural significance in Japan.They are commonly believed to bring good luck to their owners and have acenturies-long history. The figurines of lucky cats are typically made fromceramic and have, in a way, become one of the symbols closely associatedwith Japanese culture. Now they can be found in many shops, restaurants,at entrances, and in unexpected places around the globe.

Another group of newly created series showcases bouquets of flowersarranged in traditional jars and vases, embellished with images of koifishes. These flowers undergo a transformation, transitioning fromcheerful, smiley faces to ones bearing teeth, creating a unique blend ofcuteness that simultaneously exudes an element of danger and a darkerundertone.