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Takashi Murakami is a prolific contemporary Japanese artist who works in both fine arts media, such as painting, as well as digital and commercial media. He attempts to blur the boundaries between high and low art. He appropriates popular themes from mass media and pop culture, then turns them into thirty-foot sculptures, "Superflat" paintings, or marketable commercial goods such as figurines or phone caddies.
He was born in Tokyo and attended the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, initially studying more traditionalist Japanese art. Murakami became fixated on otaku culture, which he felt was more representative of modern day Japanese life. This resulted in Superflat, the style that Murakami is credited with starting Murakami’s style, called Superflat, is characterized by flat planes of color and graphic images involving a character style derived from anime and manga. Superflat is an artistic style that comments on otaku lifestyle and subculture, as well as consumerism and sexual fetishism.
In 2001, Murakami registered his organization as Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. Murakami formulates ideas and actively supervises the production of work, but he does not directly paint or sculpt the finished works. In addition to producing art works for exhibition in galleries and museums, KaiKai Kiki is responsible for the design of an enormous range of mass-produced products featuring Murakami's signature images: vinyl figurines, plush toys, keychains, t-shirts, posters, and more.
In 2008, Takashi Murakami made Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People list, and was the only visual artist to do so. |
