Japan is a colorful country and its artworks are proof that they are creative people. They easily incorporate art with fashion and many other things. Others may think it odd or loud, but it’s one of the things that sets them apart. For example, anime–Japan owns it; and when we say pop art in Japan, there’s Takashi Murakami. If you like pop art, you may very well know his name. Those colorful cutesy modern characters and vibrant colors you saw on one of Louis Vuitton’s collection years back, yes, that was his work. It’s just one proof that art and fashion go well together.
Takashi Murakami was born in Tokyo in 1962 and has been an enthusiastic follower of animation and manga, which can be seen on every art pieces he created. He is the founder and president of Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., managing the careers of younger artists and organizing the biannual art fair GEISAI.
He was the one who coined the term superflat, which describes the aesthetic characteristics of traditional Japanese art and post-war Japanese culture and society. This style differentiates itself from the western approach and is more focused on surface and use of flat planes of color. Openly admitting that he isn’t satisfied with the status of modern art in Japan, Murakami is pushing hard to promote deeper and creative works of art through his artistic statements.
Pop art in Japan is unique and identifiable as Japanese because of the regular subjects and styles. Most pop artists take inspiration largely from anime and sometimes ukiyo-e and traditional Japanese art. Other artists in Japan like Yoshitomo Nara are famous for their graffiti-inspired artworks and like Murakami, there are other artists who work on mass-produced plastic or polymer figurines. Some pop artists in Japan use shocking images on their art like hentai and it catches the eye of viewers both young and old. A common metaphor used in this type of art is the innocence of children and youth. Aya Takano and Nara use children as subject in all of their works. Nara focuses on scenes of anger and rebellion through children, Takano shows innocence through nude girls in her pieces.
Most people may find Murakami’s works inspiring or too loud. But whatever your opinion of Murakami’s art is, or pop art in general, you must admit that it isn’t easily forgettable. Maybe that’s the reason why many famous people want to work with him. He’s done working with the Louis Vuitton collection, working with Pharell Williams on a sculpture for Art Basel and helping out Kanye on his album cover. Who knows? There could be a Murakami-inspired Chucks in the future…and if that happens, I’m definitely getting one.
Photos by: HYP1987-2, poyozo, toystore + 01kkk, j-No and BFLV via Flickr Creative Commons.
