TAKASHI MURAKAMI
TAKASHI IN SUPERFLAT WONDERLAND
Plateau, Samsung Museum of Art
Samsung Life Insurance Building, Taepyeongno2-ga, jung-gu, Seoul
4 July 2013 – 8 December 2013
Plateau, Samsung Museum of Art is delighted to present a solo exhibition of work by world-renowned Pop artist Takashi Murakami, entitled ‘Takashi in Superflat Wonderland,’ from July 4th to December 8th. As the first retrospective of Takashi Murakami held in Korea, this exhibition allows one to experience and examine the artist’s oeuvre by featuring a broad panorama of his creative endeavors including his early figures, representative works such as 727-727 and Contact, and his recent paintings.
Having received a Ph. D in Nihonga, the ‘traditional’ style of Japanese painting, from Tokyo University of the Arts, Takashi Murakami created the concept of ‘Superflat’ based on the characteristics of traditional Japanese art and the nature of contemporary Japanese popular culture. Since his ‘Superflat’ theory was first published, Murakami has been highly recognized as one of the most prominent contemporary artists and his works embodying the theory have contributed to the redirection of the course of the contemporary art scene which had previously revolved around Western trends, by incorporating Asian sentiments.
The ‘Superflat’ theory posits that manga and anime, which are closely related to Japan’s subculture of otaku, are rooted in the expressionist paintings and ukiyo-e of the Edo period. Believing that, the artist attempted to combine traditional culture and contemporary subculture. In addition, the artist organized three influential exhibitions in the 2000s from which Murakami emerged as an artist of international significance and stature, as they realized the extension of the notion of ‘Superflat’ into a zeitgeist that signified and influenced the formation of contemporary social and cultural conditions.
Murakami’s keen insight into the contemporary capitalist cultural milieu, in which the hierarchies between elite culture and subculture as well as art and commodity are flattened, enabled his collaboration with Louis Vuitton, a project which brought him huge commercial success. He also founded Kaikai & Kiki Co., Ltd. as a vehicle through which various kinds of profit-oriented cultural businesses have been carried out as part of his artistic practices. The activities of this corporation include the production and sale of a diverse array of art-related merchandise, the production of films and the promotion of new and emerging artists.
Murakami has had successful shows at leading museums throughout the world such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Brooklyn Museum in New York and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. In recent years, he also showed his works at the Palace of Versailles and staged an exhibition in Doha, Qatar.
This exhibition showcases around thirty works by Murakami: his iconic characters such as Mr. DOB, Miss Ko², Kaikai & Kiki and Tan Tan Bo; his flowers as the symbol of traditional beauty; his design motifs including the eye through which he delved into the questions of gaze and existence; his pop iconography which has recently developed into a form of self-portraiture.
In this wonderland constructed through Murakami’s unique characters in a variety of art forms and mediums including painting, sculpture, video art, photography, balloons, wall paper, curtains and carpets, one is given an enjoyable opportunity to explore a fantastical world and at the same time reexamine the critical attitude of Pop Art as it reflects on the historical, social and cultural aspects of our times. Furthermore, this exhibition offers an opportunity to observe a successful example of an Asian artist who has firmly established himself in the international art scene.
TAKASHI IN SUPERFLAT WONDERLAND
Plateau, Samsung Museum of Art
Samsung Life Insurance Building, Taepyeongno2-ga, jung-gu, Seoul
4 July 2013 – 8 December 2013
Plateau, Samsung Museum of Art is delighted to present a solo exhibition of work by world-renowned Pop artist Takashi Murakami, entitled ‘Takashi in Superflat Wonderland,’ from July 4th to December 8th. As the first retrospective of Takashi Murakami held in Korea, this exhibition allows one to experience and examine the artist’s oeuvre by featuring a broad panorama of his creative endeavors including his early figures, representative works such as 727-727 and Contact, and his recent paintings.
Having received a Ph. D in Nihonga, the ‘traditional’ style of Japanese painting, from Tokyo University of the Arts, Takashi Murakami created the concept of ‘Superflat’ based on the characteristics of traditional Japanese art and the nature of contemporary Japanese popular culture. Since his ‘Superflat’ theory was first published, Murakami has been highly recognized as one of the most prominent contemporary artists and his works embodying the theory have contributed to the redirection of the course of the contemporary art scene which had previously revolved around Western trends, by incorporating Asian sentiments.
The ‘Superflat’ theory posits that manga and anime, which are closely related to Japan’s subculture of otaku, are rooted in the expressionist paintings and ukiyo-e of the Edo period. Believing that, the artist attempted to combine traditional culture and contemporary subculture. In addition, the artist organized three influential exhibitions in the 2000s from which Murakami emerged as an artist of international significance and stature, as they realized the extension of the notion of ‘Superflat’ into a zeitgeist that signified and influenced the formation of contemporary social and cultural conditions.
Murakami’s keen insight into the contemporary capitalist cultural milieu, in which the hierarchies between elite culture and subculture as well as art and commodity are flattened, enabled his collaboration with Louis Vuitton, a project which brought him huge commercial success. He also founded Kaikai & Kiki Co., Ltd. as a vehicle through which various kinds of profit-oriented cultural businesses have been carried out as part of his artistic practices. The activities of this corporation include the production and sale of a diverse array of art-related merchandise, the production of films and the promotion of new and emerging artists.
Murakami has had successful shows at leading museums throughout the world such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Brooklyn Museum in New York and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. In recent years, he also showed his works at the Palace of Versailles and staged an exhibition in Doha, Qatar.
This exhibition showcases around thirty works by Murakami: his iconic characters such as Mr. DOB, Miss Ko², Kaikai & Kiki and Tan Tan Bo; his flowers as the symbol of traditional beauty; his design motifs including the eye through which he delved into the questions of gaze and existence; his pop iconography which has recently developed into a form of self-portraiture.
In this wonderland constructed through Murakami’s unique characters in a variety of art forms and mediums including painting, sculpture, video art, photography, balloons, wall paper, curtains and carpets, one is given an enjoyable opportunity to explore a fantastical world and at the same time reexamine the critical attitude of Pop Art as it reflects on the historical, social and cultural aspects of our times. Furthermore, this exhibition offers an opportunity to observe a successful example of an Asian artist who has firmly established himself in the international art scene.
