Takashi MURAKAMI ~~ Birth of SUPERFLAT

Superflat is a postmodern art movement founded by the artist Takashi Murakami, which is influenced by manga and anime. It is also the name of a 2001 art exhibition, curated by Murakami, that toured West Hollywood, Minneapolis and Seattle.

In this short piece, Murakami explains about the SUPERFLAT concept and what he means by that. It has a lot to do with how he sees Japanese society today and how it has evolved since the end of the Pacific war in 1945 with the devastating attacks by the US using atomic weapons.

A central influence on the concept of 'Superflat' is the Japanese cartoon culture of manga where enthusiasts are lured into a magical world that is divorced from reality.
The insistent two-dimensionality of manga often results in an overall patterning of colors and shapes which provides a parallel space in which to escape from the pressures and expectations of society at large. All of the artists in 'Superflat' work between the established boundaries of their respective genres, for instance where fine art photography meets commercial photography, where painting meets illustration, or where fashion meets theatrical costuming.the 'supe'" in 'Superflat' not only emphasizes the planar qualities of much of the work, but also denotes a special, charged characteristic or attitude. With 'Superflat' Murakami suggests a broader definition of contemporary art in japan and the wide range of activity within the exhibition can be seen as a direct challenge to the traditional borders and hierarchies between cultural genres.



bio:

Takashi Murakami was born in Tokyo in 1962. In 1986 he graduated from the Department of Japanese Traditional Painting (nihon-ga) at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, from which he later also earned his MA and PHD. Mr. Murakami made his debut as a modern artist with the 1991 solo exhibition Takashi, Tamiya, and has since been exhibited in many prestigious museums incliding the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and numerous other venues around the world. In 1994 he participated in the P.S.1 International Studio Program on a fellowship grant from the Rockefeller Foundation Asian Cultural Council. The same year, he also founded his Brooklyn-based studio. He returned to Japan in 1995 and founded the Hiropon Factory (also known as Kaikai Kiki) on the outskirts of Tokyo. Both studios serve as production spaces for Murakami's art and provide space for the young artists Mr. Murakami seeks to cultivate.


further info:

It's suprising that Murakami is often characterized as one of the most commercial artists in history, while he takes a critica look at the childish society of consumerist entertainment. If Andy Warhol used Campbell soup cans in his artistic work, Murakami is not only inspired by popular objects but he also manufactures them and sells them. In the same way that a traditional painter fills a canvas with colors, Murakami seems to fill the world with his objects. Prints, sculptures, animated videos, curated exhibitions, limited edition dolls, t-shirts, chocolates, gum, keychains, wallpaper, mobile phones, Monopoly games...or a limited edition Louis Vuitton purse. All from his own factory, Kaikai Kiki, that has 50 employees in its New York office, as well as representing five young artists.

The Superflat trend includes names like Takashi Murakami, Yoshitomo Nara (Hiroshaki, 1959) Aya Takano (Saitama, 1976), Chiho Aoshima (Tokio, 1974), Erina Matsui (Okayama, 1984), Tomoko Sawada (Kobe, 1977) y Kohei Nawa (Osaka, 1975). Nara hasn't developed a merchandising machine as advanced as Murakami's, his work is less flat and less industrial, and he defines himself as punk.

The new generation of artists, connected to Superflat, born in the 1970s has a greater freedom, present in the techniques they use. Murakami & Nara continue to be the spiritual fathers of the movement that represents a Japan still searching for its identity and immersed in a pop culture connected to the world of childhood.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Takashi
• neo
• pop
• art
• japan
• warhol
• superflat
• super
• flat
• atomic
• bomb
• movement

[villaszplugg]

'surrealistically' isn't a word.... sums up the entire 'highly theoretical' art wank.

[KeesWestervelt]

@GodLovesSkittles Please explain yourself, because i think this hasn't much to do with Exit Through The Gift Shop. Takashi draws en designs everything himself that a important and big difference excuse me if my English is poor

[GodLovesSkittles]

No, this DEFINITELY reminds me of Exit Through The Gift Shop...

[GodLovesSkittles]

This kind of reminds me of Exit Through The Gift Shop.

[zebredpooding]

i respect him as an artist , but anything with more than two eyes is just plain creepy.....and those sharp teeth. i couldnt have something like that hanging in my house. id have nightmares. the flowers though are so CUTE! i want a painting of smiley flowers. but yeah i undersatand the superflat theory....even the flowers are disturbing in a way but i forget that because they are cute and smiling.

[YuiYamana]

Barefoot Gen footage....now I am depressed

[YuiYamana]

@tayloreh I think he means that can rise to greater heights after having everything taken away. I think they mean they won't let tragedy get in the way because they have experienced the worst worldly tragedy

[FrozenFenrir]

@MultiRipper88 funny coincidence, my bachelor project im currently working on is based on murakami

[veryago]

material and plaster?

[gabebrown56]

@MultiRipper88 inochi kun