A Look At…

Takashi Murakami

By: Michael Rinchiuso & Danielle Helmlinger

ARTE 344

“I express hopelessness”

Is pronounced just how it looks, you just add more of a slurred L and R sound for the “ra”. He was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1963 and still lives there to this day.

Takashi Murakami ( たかしむらかみ）

Schooling

Murakami graduated with his BFA, MFA and PhD from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. While he was there he studied Nihonga ( にほんが ) which is a late 19th century Japanese style of painting.

Life After School

After the rise and influence of anime and manga in the 1980’s, Murakami changed his traditional work style. Merging Nihonga and the anime style, Murakami made artworks that could be commercialized and mass produced but still have the message of hopelessness he tries to communicate.

Art Periods

Murakami started an art movement that is known as Superflat. The forms in these works are flattened to represent the "shallow emptiness” of Japan’s oversaturated consumer culture.“ Poku is the term used for Murakami’s style of pop art.

Mediums

Murakami’s work ranges from cartoony paintings, quasi-minimalist sculptures, giant inflatable balloons, performance events, factory-produced watches, T-shirts, and other products. Here in the west, he is known for his designed Louis Vutton purses.

Factory &

Side workHiropon Factory was Murakami’s original production workshop. Today, his fame and popularity has grown to such heights that his work is made by a corporation named Kaikai Kiki. One of Murakami most notable side works consisted of creating the cover art for Kenya West’s Graduation Album.

Famous Artworks

Murakami has made a number of artworks that are well recognized both in and out of Japan. His most recognizable artworks are those that derive from the Mr.DOB character (top picture). The mouse like Mr. DOB is considered to act as a sort of alter ego of Murakami himself.

Murakami’s Message

Behind Murakami’s seemingly cheerful exterior lies a powerful message about current Japanese culture. Murakami states that “If my art looks positive and cheerful, I would doubt my art was accepted in the contemporary art scene. My art is not Pop art. It is a record of the struggle of the discriminated people.”

Sourceswww.craziestgadgets.com/2008/04/10/takashi-murakami-mr-dob-mousepad/

www.takashimurakami.com/www.craziestgadgets.com/2008/04/10/takashi-murakami-mr-dob-mousepad/www.abloggingape.deviantart.com/art/Murakami-DOB-252621062 http://www.flickr.com/photos/colbwt-archi/485089775/http://www.csuchico.edu/~cheinz/syllabi/asst001/fall98/vanoni/Webpage7.htmlhttp://www.fakeshoredrive.com/2012/09/kanye-wests-graduation-turns-five-but-how-has-it-held-up.html/http://kaylalp.deviantart.com/art/Murakami-172424879http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE2VgKy5DUchttp://www.jca-online.com/murakami.htmlhttp://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.11/artist.htmlhttp://english.kaikaikiki.co.jp/artists/list/C4/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takashi_Murakami