Takashi Murakami - Defining the Contemporary Japanese Art Aesthetic

1. Takashi Murakami - Defining the
Contemporary Japanese Art
Aesthetic
By: Brian Baldwin

2. Takashi Murakami - Defining the Contemporary
Japanese Art Aesthetic
Based in Minnesota, Brian Baldwin is an independent consultant with extensive experience in
project development and corporate finance. Brian Baldwin has hosted art shows on digital media
and has a particular interest in contemporary art.

3. Takashi Murakami - Defining the Contemporary
Japanese Art Aesthetic
A recent article in the Japan Times brought attention to Takashi Murakami as a contemporary artist
whose work is relatively unappreciated in his home country, yet is the “face of Japanese
contemporary art abroad.”

4. Takashi Murakami - Defining the Contemporary
Japanese Art Aesthetic
Murakami first came to prominence in 1995 with the Mr. DOB character, an alter-ego that
combined elements of Mickey Mouse and Japanese manga. Mr. DOB paintings and an inflatable of
the character were a runaway hit at Murakami’s first solo show at the Galerie Perrotin in Paris, and
this radically reshaped what was perceived as possible for Japanese artists on the international art
scene.

5. Takashi Murakami - Defining the Contemporary
Japanese Art Aesthetic
Murakami again made waves in 2000 with the publication of the “superflat” manifesto, which
posited that the “low” art represented by manga and anime was no different than fine art. He was
seen as reacting against a Japanese art scene in which the majority of recognized works were a
“shallow appropriation of Western trends.”

6. Takashi Murakami - Defining the Contemporary
Japanese Art Aesthetic
Having produced 10 significant exhibitions spanning the globe over the past two years, Murakami
is best known in Japan for commercial work that includes brand ties with Adidas and Louis Vuitton,
and the mascot for Roppongi Hills. Abroad, his neo-pop aesthetic has a much wider appeal, and
he has branched out into animation as well as to the operation of restaurants and galleries.