His celebrity and instantly-recognizable style propelled him into exclusive collaborations with brands of worldwide renown, most notably in the fashion sphere. Before being considered the most emblematic artist of the beginning of this century, Takashi Murakami first crafted his style, thought, and technique at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. There, Murakami did his PhD while reflecting on his desire to universalize Japanese artistic expression. In 1989, he founded a creative space that he would call the âHiropon Factoryâ seven years later. The nod is evident; as a reference to the eponymous medicine from Andy Warholâs Factory, Takashi Murakami developed a very personal vision of art here. His theory is âSuperflatâ: the idea is to bring the origins of contemporary Japanese visual culture together with Japanese ancestral arts. In other words, synthesizing pop culture from contemporary art and hallowed traditions. He explains: âThe Japanese accept that art and business are mixed. And in fact, theyâre surprised by the rigid and pretentious Western hierarchy of noble art.â
Itâs true that in his work, noble art and popular art meet in an obvious harmony. Whether in paintings, minimalist sculptures, animated drawings, or spin-off products tied to his image, Takashi Murakami puts the same interest into the essence of his art. When he called on collective memory for manga characters, he did it through sculpture and all the finesse that this art requires. This is without a doubt why Marc Jacobs had him create handbags and other essential objects for Louis Vuitton. What Takashi Murakami likes more than anything is an opera of colors – soft or loud shades orchestrated around the same initial idea: tying together the traditions of Pop Art, the Japan of yesteryear, and post-war Japan.
He says: âWhen I made paintings as a first year student in university, an older female student came to me and told me that I didnât have a sense of color. She claimed that her boyfriend was known for his exceptional sense of color. You can imagine how I, who was hoping to live off of painting, how this comment made me tremble! From that day on, I started studying the fundamentals of color.â He has a desire to please, but also a love of bright color that forges a psychedelic and soothing palette. His works are always fun and accessible, playing within a universe of surprising creation like M. DOB, smiling flowers and colorful mushrooms. Takashi Murakami enjoys titillating the sexual censorship of his native Japan as well, with his manga characters boasting a hyper-sexualization that borders on ridiculous. His iconic piece âHiroponâ worked with this in 1997. âHiroponâ is the piece that brought him into art circles in the U.S. The oversized bust under an ultra-small bikini, fantasy nourished by animated drawings, these figurines are of an absurd size that borders on grotesque. This is Murakamiâs signature: expressing hidden sexuality with a ridiculous, funny, and well-executed flair within an art that earns its own nobility.
Leave a Reply