"Miss ko2 (Project ko2)," 1997 (c) 1997 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.(Photo courtesy of Kaikai Kiki Co.)
Artist Takashi Murakami is a litany of contradictions -- trained in classical art, he made his name through otaku pop culture; a fashion icon who rarely wears anything other than scruffy jeans and T-shirts; his work can be seen on cheap trinkets and 500,000 yen handbags.
It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, to hear he disputes claims that he is contemporary Japan's most famous artist around the world.
"I'm often said to have succeeded globally, but I don't think I have succeeded on the world stage, just in the United States, parts of Western Europe and among people in the art world in a few countries. Some in the Japanese art world are often critical of me and it's my feeling that you can't quite say that I have succeeded globally," he told the Mainichi Daily News in an exclusive e-mail interview.
Despite the humble self-opinion, the 45-year-old artist has shaken the foundations of the traditional art world with his blending of high and low art through the mixture of traditional Japanese techniques, such as those seen in ukiyo-e, and modern pop culture, like anime and manga.
Murakami is said to feel otaku culture is more representative of modern Japanese life. This led to the development of the Superflat style, which is characterized by flat planes of color with no artistic perspective.
And he has a keen business sense rarely seen among artists, with his efforts directed not just toward his own success, but also that of young talents in both Japan and the United States.
Murakami uses Kaikai Kiki, the company he found in the Saitama Prefecture satellite town of Asuka, to produce art and manage such artists. Murakami has frequently stated he was inspired by Bill Gates and is known for running a tight ship with a strong emphasis on high quality, speedy production without incurring unnecessary cost.
Twice a year, Kaikai Kiki also hosts Geisai, an ever-growing event where artists can rent booths to display their works. It serves as the major method Murakami goes about promoting Japanese artists. He says Japanese art has much to offer the world.
Takashi Murakami speaks in Tokyo about his "(C) Murakami" exhibition opening in L.A. in October. (Photo by Kurage Kikuchi. Photo courtesy of Kaikai Kiki Co.)
"The utter annihilation of Japan's hierarchical social structure in the postwar period saw the creation of many works that could be made on a low budget. After that, manga, anime, even video games all absolutely had to be made at low cost," Murakami said. "Many stories dealt with themes like courage and peace. Having lost the war to the United States there was also a 'loser's logic' at work that saw many moralistic stories appear in a tough social environment, there were many works that seriously questioned what humanity is really all about. I think many countries flinching at American imperialism would find Japanese works attractive."
Murakami is poised to bring more Japanese art to the world with the Oct. 29 opening of "(C) Murakami" at the Geffen Contemporary in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles."(C) Murakami" will be broken into three distinct sections.
Installation, the first section, takes its inspiration from Tokyo's Comike manga exhibitions and is filled with the pop art figure sculptures that are arguably his most representative works.
The second section, Louis Vuitton Collaboration, features the bags and accessories Murakami famously designed upon request by Marc Jacobs for the French luxury label, as well as items made specifically for this exhibition.
The final section shows Murakami's paintings and sculptures split into two parts, the first showcasing his work through the 1990s as he established his own artistic identity and developed the Murakami brand, while the latter part focuses on how the artist has expressed himself in the 21st century.
Among the 95 works on display in "(C) Murakami" will be "Buddha Oval," a Hindu-, Buddhist-, and traditional Japan-influenced statue that is Murakami's first work in metal, as well as "Hiropon," "Signboard TAKASHI" and "Project Ko2," the otaku-inspired statue that established a record price for contemporary Japanese art when it sold at auction for 567,500 dollars in 2003 (since surpassed by Murakami's "Tongarikun," which fetched a whopping 1.5 million dollars).
"Oval Buddha," 2007. (c) 2007 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. (Photo by Kurage Kikuchi. Photo courtesy of Kaikai Kiki Co.)
Also featured in the exhibition -- which will travel to New York's Brooklyn Museum, Frankfurt's Museum fur Moderne Kunst and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain following its L.A. season -- will be Murakami's first completely original animation work, "Kaikai & Kiki," which he directed and produced and says will join the Louis Vuitton Collaboration as a highlight of the show.
"I still don't fully understand the Western-style hierarchical social structure. My own stance is always with the common people," Murakami said. "Even if I can understand the framework of an art market where a single work can sell for several hundred million yen, deep in my heart I am still in a whirl of doubts. That's why I can be happy in the knowledge that the anime screening and the Louis Vuitton shop are places with values that common people can comprehend." (By Ryann Connell)
August 7, 2007
http://www.takashimurakami.com/
http://english.kaikaikiki.co.jp/artworks/list/C4/