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Production and promotion of merchandise the advent of Kaikai Kiki Š
Steadfast to the principle that art should by product design specialists in be present in everyday life, Kaikai Kiki the Tokyo studio. produces a range of artist-related merchandise that can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere. Controversial for his Superflat theory, Murakami believes that the flat, consumerist society we live in calls for a rethinking of the relationship between commerce and art, and the acceptance of this fusion is more evolved in Japan.
the website for individual purchase in Japan, and are available through the New York Office to resale distributors abroad. Kaikai Kiki products can be found at exclusive galleries, museum shops, and other resale outlets around the world. Kaikai Kiki Marketplace releases a regular email magazine with news and information on Kaikai Kiki has expanded its realm of Sale of Kaikai Kiki Products products, as well as general products to pillows, bags, towels, key Kaikai Kiki information. chains, sticker sets, and even soccer balls Kaikai Kiki maintains a compreemblazoned with Murakami and other hensive website, the Kaikai Kiki FOR PURCHASING INFORMATION ON Kaikai Kiki artists’ colorful designs. DeMarketplace, with all available signs for new products are conceived by products, as well as information MERCHANDISE OR ORIGINAL PRINTS: Murakami, and just as with artworks, are on new and upcoming releases. http://english.kaikaikiki.co.jp/ closely monitored as they are developed Products are available through www.moma.org/store
TAKASHI
MURAKAMI THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK
SUPERFLAT : EXHIBITION CATALOGUE Superflat is the first exhibition at MoMA focusing on the world renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. Guest curator Murakami, has selected works which show the nature of his multifaceted catalogue, ranging from his vibrant characters to works on Zen Buddhism, and collaborations on projects with Louis Vuitton & Kanye West.
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ART MEETS FASHION
COLLABORATING WITH LOUIS VUITTON
In 2003, Takashi Murakami, in collaboration with Marc Jacobs, masterminded the new Monogram Multicolore canvas range of handbags and accessories. This range includes the monograms of the standard Monogram Canvas, but in 33 different colors on either a white or black background. (The classic canvas features gold monograms on a brown background.) Murakami also creates the "Cherry Blossom" pattern, in which smiling cartoon faces in the middle of pink and yellow flowers are sporadically placed atop the Monogram Canvas. This pattern appeared on a limited number of pieces, which sold out quickly; the production of this limitededition run was discontinued in June 2003.
TAKASHI MURAKAMI BIOGRAPHY Takashi Murakami was born in 1962 in Tokyo, and received his BFA, MFA and PhD from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He founded the Hiropan factory in Tokyo in 1996, which later evolved into Kaikai Kiki Co., a large-scale art production and art management corporation. In addition to the production and marketing of Murakami’s work, Kaikai Kiki Co. functions as a supportive environment for the fostering of young Japanese artists. Murakami is also a curator, entrepreneur, and a critical observer of contemporary Japanese society. As an artist, Murakami questions the lines drawn between East and West, past and present, high art and popular culture. Not stopping with the production of artworks, Murakami shocked the world with his entrepreneurial collaboration with Louis Vuitton, when he challenged the divide between art and commerce.
“Tranquility of the Heart Torment of the Flesh- Open Wide the Eye of the Heart, and Nothing is Invisible” “Tell me,” the emperor of China asked Daruma, “What is the first principle of Buddhism?” “Vast emptiness, nothing holy!” Daruma replied. “Who are you?”, the emperor demanded, thoroughly perplexed. “I don’t know!” Daruma announced, departing as suddenly as he had arrived.
Departing from his well-known
utopian and dystopian themes – which feature masses of smiling flowers, elaborate scenes of toonish apocalypse, and the ever-morphing cult figures of DOB and Mr. Pointy – Murakami surprises here with a TAKASHI MURAKAMI That I may time transcend, that a universe my heart may unfold, 2007 Acrylic and silver gold leaf on canvas mounted on board 3 panels: 95-1/2 x 111 inches (242.6 x 281.9 cm)
group of monumental portraits of Daruma, the grand patriarch of Zen art. Daruma was an Indian sage who lived during the fifth or sixth century A.D., the founder of Zen Buddhism. Legend has it that he attained enlightenment after sitting in meditation before the wall of the Shaolin monastery for nine years, without blinking his eyes. During this process, his arms and legs atrophied, withered and fell off. In today’s Japan, Daruma’s continuing popularity as the embodiment of resilience and determination has given rise to an entire industry of good luck charms in the form of armless, legless and eyeless dolls, available in endless variations. Murakami’s interpretations of the icon are similarly varied, fusing tradition with a heterogeneous range of artistic and cultural inspirations.
INTERNATIONAL FAME WORKING WITH KANYE WEST Japanese artist Takashi Mu-
rakami has teamed up with hip-hop star Kanye West for a variety of projects centering around West’s upcoming album Graduation, due to be released on Sept. 11, 2007. The first two singles from the album, Can’t Tell Me Nothing and Stronger, already feature Murakami artworks as covers -- the former a grimacing head made of neon coils, and the latter a rendering of West’s bear mascot with two helmeted robots floating nearby. Though he’s living the life of a Grammy-winning hip-hop star, West seems to have a real admiration for Murakami’s lifestyle, describing him as “a god in the art world.”“Murakami, his work
has been stunning to me,” said West in an MTV interview. “Every single that’s coming out for my album, he did the artwork for the covers. . . . And all the merchandising for the new album is Murakami.”
That I may time transcend, that a universe my heart may unfold, 2007 Acrylic and silver gold leaf on canvas mounted on board 3 panels: 95-1/2 x 111 inches (242.6 x 281.9 cm)
SCULPTURAL WORK LONESOME COWBOY & HIROPON
“In order to understand and describe why this culture has emerged, I caricatured it and created a life-size sculpture.”
Considered Murakami’s signature and most infamous works are “Hiropon” and “My Lonesome Cowboy”.
‘Hiropon’ is a fiberglass sculpture of an animestyle female, taller than average, with gigantic breasts and wearing an undersized bikini top, which fails to cover her adequately. A stream of milk, which she is squeezing from her right nipple, wraps behind her to her left nipple being squeezed by her other hand, resembling a jump-rope. “My Lonesome Cowboy” is a similar sculpture of a nude male holding his penis as he ejaculates a stream of semen, which he guides with his other hand to swirl upward, resembling a lasso. Both pieces of work are comments on the immense rate of overly sexed anime, and are critiques on westernization.
Panda, 2003 Fiberglass w/ antique Louis Vuitton trunk & wooden pedestal, 100 1/2 by 65 by 43 inches Wink Figure, 2000 Polychrome plastic sculpture with CD 9 1/2 inches height x 7 1/4 inches
My Lonesome Cowboy, 1998 Oil, acrylic, fiberglass, and iron 100 x 46 x 36 inches Hiropon, 1997 Oil, acrylic, fiberglass, and iron 100 x 46 x 36 inches
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Mr DOB the self produced icon
T
akashi Murakami was one of the originators of a ‘critical pop’ approach to rampant consumerism, which emerged in Japan in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Like his pop art predecessors of the 1960s, he uses popular culture images in a high art context. His various paintings, sculptures and commercial items reference the subculture of manga comics and anime, collectively known as otaku culture.
the emptiness of consumer society. Its flatness references traditional Japanese painting and links his work to the two-dimensional character of much contemporary media imagery and computer graphics. By linking introduced Western styles with contemporary media and the subculture of otaku (itself derived from the introduction of American comics), Murakami is able to reflect on issues such as the impact of technology and globalisation, and their affect on national and individual identity.
Embracing the commercial feel of And then, and then and then and then and his work, Murakami has a line of then shows Murakami’s signature image, Mr. DOB merchandise that includes Mr DOB, a hybrid cartoon figure, which is toys and shirt among other items. partially based on a stylised portrait of the And then, and then and then and then and then, 1994 artist himself. DOB is an abbreviation for ‘why’ and reflects Murakami’s critical attitude towards
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas Diptych: 280 x 300 x 7.5cm (overall) Purchased 1996. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Collection: Queensland Art Gallery © 1994 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd.