Lucas

Jessica Lucas

Mr. Gallagher

AP. Literature

12 April 2010

(c)Murakami

Takashi Murakami is a Japanese artist born in 1962 in Tokyo. He grew up in a family that

early on instilled in him the importance of art and expression, his own culture, and also many

Western ideas. His mother designed textiles (Schjeldahl) and he has a younger brother who is

also an artist (Frick). When Murakami was young, his parents would give him assignments. He

would have to attend art exhibitions and then write essays to be submitted to his parents. If he

did not do this, he would be punished with no dinner (Schjeldahl). As a teen, he was greatly

influenced by Manga and Anime, including Space Battleship Yamato and the surreal worlds they

created and maintained.

His father worked at a U.S. Naval base, and he was growing up at a time when American

culture was especially prominent in music, movies, etc (Frick). His own upbringing clashed with

the Western influences in his life. In the 1980s, he attended the Tokyo National University of

Fine Arts and Music, and got his Ph. D. training in the style of Nihonga. Nihonga was Japan's

retaliation towards Western art style born in the nineteenth century. However, he also studied

American artists, and these two cultures come together in his art (Frick).

Although he is greatly Americanized, Murakami is also fully aware of his own heritage.

His mom reminded him very often from a young age that the only reason he is alive is because

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the bomb went by the then overcast city of Kokura, which was his mother's native city, on

August 9, 1945 and instead went for Nagasaki (Schjeldahl). Murakami is also very aware of the

effects of World War II on Japan, and the sense of inferiority that was quietly affecting it's

people. He believes that Japan's obsession with fantasy worlds has to do with Japan's sense of

incompetence due to their military humiliation in World War II and the rise of female figures in

situations of power in corporations (“Infantile capitalism; Japanese contemporary art”).

The largest concern expressed in his work is for the Japan. From a young age Murakami

was interested in a grander reality, which is what drew him to the surreal world of anime and the

otaku subculture. He grew up in cramped living spaces in Japan, and since he could not escape

physically, found a mental escape instead (“Less is more: more is more”). Murakami is a

'maximalist' because his view is that there is an infinite amount of meaning, and no matter how

much he sees, there is always more. He has a fascination with space and the “fearsome

limitlessness of that pitch-black world” (“Less is more: more is more”). He is greatly concerned

with the poor state of Japan, and takes it on as the theme of his art. Even though the economy in

Japan is plummeting, there are still “NEETs [Not in Employment, Education, or Training]”

(Mclean-Ferris) who drain the economy because they can get by without working. His goal, as

he says, is “to illustrate the disintegration of a nation and the disintegration of self-

consciousness” (Mclean-Ferris) and draw people's attention to the lack of collaboration towards a

better Japan.

Murakami's imagination is, quite obviously, a very grand one. His view has been said to

be one of a “maximalist,” (“Less is more: more is more”) because of his large scales and spaces.

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His piece entitled “Giant Magical Princess! She’s Walking Down the Streets Of Akihabara!”

(Laster) features a larger than life hime gyaru, or “princess girl.” This is a popular style in Japan,

mostly among women of their 20s and 30s, who dress in modern day, hyper-colorized versions of

old European styles (Kane, Thomas). It allows these women to at least feel like they are living in

a fairy tale, and aids in an escape from the real world. Because of his upbringing, Murakami has

an affinity for larger scales and open spaces as opposed to feelings of being cramped, so he loves

fantasy worlds, as we can see from his love of anime and manga. It makes sense that his interests

would be drawn to such a style, because it also covets the idea of escape.

The hime gyaru featured in this painting is not only extravagant in style, but in size. The

surrounding buildings of Akihabara are about the same height as the princess' hip, which is

around where the image cuts off. Akihabara is a central part of Tokyo, Japan, containing many

buildings ranging from enormous to small. It is one of the busiest centers of the town. It is also,

probably not coincidentally, the focal point of otaku shops in the city (“Akihabara” para 1).

Although the princess' legs, protruding in front of the buildings right in the center of the image

make up the first focus point, one's eyes inevitably drift after that towards the buildings behind

and around her, and the immense amounts of colors decorating them and their billboards. After

analysis of the buildings, the crowd comes into focus. There is little space from person to person,

and the people themselves are very cramped at the bottom of the image, although the top and the

rest of the piece are spacey and free, with the inclusion of the sky. The crowd, although it also

has bright colors like the rest of the piece, feels desperate in comparison to the lounging princess.

The princess herself also embodies the sado-cute style of Murakami, including

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provocative imagery with a cute and innocent style. The colors on her skirt and leggings are

bright blues, pinks, and yellows, but her legs are spread so that both the entire city of Akihabara

at the bottom of the image and the viewer of the actual painting are looking up her short, bright

pink skirt.

To make it even stranger, Murakami worked with Kirsten Dunst, whom he dressed up as

the very same princess and threw into the streets of Akihabara. The video features Dunst dancing

around and singing the song “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors (Clara para 1). Although that

sounds too cute to be Murakami, the actual video has it's own sense of darkness. Dunst scarcely

smiles, and of course the actual song “Turning Japanese” has it's own widespread interpretations

of it being a lot more provocative than initially thought.

Murakami's three largest influences on his art's themes are American culture, Japan's

otaku culture, and World War II. Often, one of more of these themes are blended together in his

art. His most famous character is named Mr. DOB, and he appears in many of his pieces, in

different forms. He is portrayed as a spin on the American Mickey Mouse, at first portrayed as

cute. However over time, DOB has become a deranged, spike-toothed character, and is almost

unrecognizable.

In his piece Gero Tan ("Takashi Murakami's Art Is Really Hard to Describe." Pg 1), this

is

most evident. Down at the base of this monstrous DOB, at the bottom of the mural, there are

multi-colored flowers growing. In the background, there is a bright blue sky with white clouds,

and a small sliver of lime green grass at the bottom. The creature is almost completely

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unrecognizable except for the faint signs of the D and B written on the ears. In this interpretation

of DOB, it appears that he is wearing purple lipstick, although it is barely noticeable in

comparison to the huge, black-toothed smile.

Murakami, while proud of his own upbringing, has a love of American culture. This

Japanese Mickey Mouse is the perfect example of this marriage of cultures. However, the

changes that he has gone through over the years from an adorable character to a monster can be

interpreted in different ways. It has been speculated that DOB is in fact Murakami's alter ego,

through which he can give his own commentary on Japanese culture (DiPietro). If this is true,

what does DOB's changing appearance say about Murakami?

There is no doubt that Takashi Murakami has dug himself deep into American culture,

solidified by his work with Louis Vuitton, to be discussed later. From his work as a fledgling

artist to his rock-star self today, DOB has become more or less an amorphous blob of teeth and

eyes, both adorable and scary, but altogether unrecognizable. He is using this marriage of

cultures to try to educate Americans about Japanese culture and the changes it has gone through,

and influences it has taken from them.

On November 28, 2008 Takashi Murakami gave a lecture in Hong Kong, hosted by

Christie's. During this lecture he talked about the otaku subculture in Japan, which he considers

himself to be a member of. Otaku guys are more or less the Japanese version of American

fanboys, who obsess over comics, video games, manga, anime, and all other things considered

geeky. They isolate themselves from mainstream society and don't socialize very much at all,

and especially find a hard time with approaching, much less socializing with, the opposite sex

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without feeling uncomfortable.

Murakami sets forth his belief that Japan is like this because of the changes Japan has

gone through as a result of World War II. He believes that after the war, Japanese people began

to reject a large part of their own culture. They wanted to start anew, and a purging of the old

was in order. Because of this and an influx of American cultural icons and products, Japan's

culture has completely changed to include both Japanese American pop culture icons- as

previously shown, Mickey Mouse has made his way there as well (“Takashi Murakami on why

the War helped create Japanese pop culture.”).

In post-war Japan, many images have taken on alternative meanings and connotations.

Murakami works a lot with mushrooms in different forms, alluding to mushroom clouds. One of

these pieces is called Little Boy. The name itself is a reference to the codeword for the bomb

dropped on Hiroshima. It is the poster for an exhibit of the same name in 2005, showing the

effects of the bomb on post-war Japan's culture. It shows two large clouds. The first noticeable

image is the large red cloud. It is blood red and very foreboding, but has Murakami's signature

wide smile. Both the eyes and mouth are black. At the same time, the cloud next to it is smaller

and jet black. It has white eyes and a smaller, almost surprised purple mouth. The image itself is

sort of barren, except for the flowers to the side. If one looks to the bottom of the piece, there are

clouds being winded away to the right, implying that there are even more bombs to the left of

this screen, blowing this way. However, rather than being afraid, the creatures around are all

happy, flying and frolicking.

This is a strange development from his older bomb pieces. His work from 1993 entitled

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Time Bokan depicts a scary white mushroom cloud with a skull shape as the cap on a fluorescent

pink background. Upon further inspection, it is evident that the eyes of this cloud are actually

made up of Murakami's signature over-happy flowers. It is named after an anime by the same

name, which ended every episode with an enormous explosion. The flowers themselves are

hopeful images implying the possibly happy outcomes of the explosions, as they helped explode

Japan's art world into something new (McCutcheon).

Murakami uses his sado-cute style well to appeal to the otaku subculture and gain the

attention of American culture. With his exhibition Second Mission Project ko2 in 1999, he

pushes the limits even more. It features the different forms of this character, who is a mixture

between a stereotypical anime female and a transformer. It has the torso of a female with no

clothing on and extremities of mixed human and robot parts. The female has turquoise hair and

large, whimsical eyes, which is characteristic of anime characters. The plane parts are white with

rainbow borders. The piece is definitely colorful enough to stand out. By the end of the

transformation, the anime girl has extended her entire torso outward to form the body of the

plane, and her arms and legs fold inward. The final product has the girl's genitals at the very nose

of the plane (Etherington).

Murakami has an affinity for warlike imagery, and the use of these jets invokes a violent

mood, which conflicts with the usual feelings the innocent-appearing girl brings about in it's

otaku audience. This could be a statement on Murakami's feelings about females, and the way

gender roles also changed in post-war Japan. Murakami expressed his views that the rise of

females to positions of power in corporations after the war pushed to further deepen the wound

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that the men were feeling. There was already a national feeling of incompetence, and the female

work force moved up to more executive positions made this even worse for the men (“Infantile

capitalism; Japanese contemporary art”), which could be a contributing factor bringing about the

otaku culture, where hardcore otaku fanboys are actually afraid of talking to real females and

instead idolize fantasy ones. However Murakami feels about this change in gender situations,

these statues are direct acknowledgments of the existence of this change, and that the way the

nation views females has changed.

Though all of his art shows his acknowledgment of these changes, not all of it shows his

opinions on them. One of his video is Superflat First Love which he made in 2009 to celebrate

the sixth anniversary of the first collaborative line of handbags he did with Louis Vuitton. This

video is done in a partly three dimensional anime style, featuring a young woman in standard

schoolgirl attire that is so popular among otaku's female idols. She gets eaten by a small cute

looking creature resembling Mr. DOB and is sent into a world inhabited by Murakami's

characters and creations. Further more, she is sent back in time where she encounters Gaston-

Louis Vuitton at age 14, creating presumably one of his first pieces, which is a large, rather plain

trunk. The girl and some of the creatures come out of the trunk, which is apparently the portal to

the future.

This says a lot about Murakami's marketing style, which is one of the most unique parts

about him. He is very connected to the mainstream, and believes success lies in the ability to

market, which explains why he collaborates with Louis Vuitton and Kanye West and other

notable figures. It allows him to get his message out to people who would normally not pay any

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mind to his art.

This piece is a perfect example of one of his most overwhelming themes of escapism by

means of consumerism. Louis Vuitton put forth this creature that brought her to a fantastic new

world. Also, it's no coincidence that the Louis Vuitton trunk itself was a portal to the future, as he

feels that such marketing is the future of art, for all cultures. And art is the ultimate escape from

reality (McCutcheon para 25).

Because of the way Murakami carries himself as an artist, he gives the impression that

he's only out for the money. After all, he is greatly influenced by Damien Hirst, the king of

overpricing. But he has a lot of legitimate things to say through his art that are often over-passed.

His success in America will hopefully give us a better perspective of the culture and history of

Japan. He's not trying to change the world, just to educate it.

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Works Cited

“Akihabara.” Tokyo-Travel. 14 Apr. 2010 <http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3003.html>.

Summary of the tourist attraction of Akihabara in Tokyo Japan. It is the third largest tourist

attraction in the city, and is the focal point of shops showcasing products from the otaku

subculture.

Clara. "Murakami, Kirsten Dunst and McG do Tokyo." BLOGUE. 9 Oct. 2009. 15 Apr. 2010

<http://blogue.us/2009/10/09/murakami-kirsten-dunst-and-mcg-do-tokyo/>.

Brief summary of the "Turning Japanese" video collaboration with Murakami and Kirsten Dunst,

and pictures from the production.

DiPietro, Monty. “Takashi Murakami at the Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art.” Assembly

Language. 15 Apr. 2010

<http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/04/takashi_murakamis_art_is_reall.html>.

Summary of Murakami's work, focused on DOB and it's interpretations and meanings.

Etherington, Rose. “Takashi Murakami at MOCA.” Design Magazine.13 Nov. 2007. 15 Apr.

2010 <http://www.dezeen.com/2007/11/13/takashi-murakami-at-moca/>.

Examples of works from “(c)Murakami,” a retrospective exhibition of his work.

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Frick, Lisa. "Murakami, Takashi." Newsmakers 2004 Cumulation. Ed. Laura Avery. Vol. 4.

Detroit: Gale, 2004. 355-360. BPL. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Boston Public

Library. 6 Apr. 2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Segmented biography of Murakami's life. Includes schooling and degrees, and also awards. At

the end, there is a list of his solo and collaborative exhibitions. Not only goes over his style, but

this creation process, involving computers etc.

“Infantile capitalism; Japanese contemporary art.” The Economist 19 Apr. 2008: 104. BPL.

Expanded Academic ASAP. Boston Public Library. 22 Mar. 2010

<http://galegroup.com>.

Discusses Murakami's actions and how they fail to differentiate “artistic and financial success.”

Also paraphrases Murakami's theory on Japanese art style and how it could relate to failure in

the second world war and the change in gender hierarchy.

Kane, Yukari Iwatani and Thomas, Lisa. “Japan's Latest Fasion Has Women Playin Princess for a

Day.” The Wall Street Journal 20 Nov. 2008. 14 Apr. 2010

<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122713804938242481.html?mod=rss_Lifestyle#>.

Article in the Wall Street Journal about the Japanese clothing style of “hime gyaru,” or

“princess girl.” Includes an interview with a participator of the fad and a summary of it's usual

audience and the reasons behind such a style.

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Laster, Paul. “Pop Life at Tate Modern.” Flavorwire 22 Oct. 2009. 14 Apr. 2010

<http://flavorwire.com/44847/pop-life-at-tate-modern>.

An art exhibit titled “Pop Life: Art in a Material World.” Includes pieces from Murakami as well

as Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, etc. Included larger works as well as commercialized toy-sized

versions available for consumers.

“Less is more: more is more.” Esquire Sep. 2008: 155. BPL. Expanded Academic ASAP. Boston

Public Library. 20 Mar. 2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Interview of Murakami with Esquire about his maximalist perspective, and his broad view and

sense of imagination, contrasted with the ideas of minimalism and some of it's artists.

McCutcheon, Maggie. “Takashi Murakami: A Retrospective.” Format Magazine. 6 Aug. 2009.

15 Apr. 2010 <http://www.formatmag.com/features/takashi-murakami-draft/>.

A look at Murakami's art through the years, including pictures and information of each. Includes

a lot of the work related to his view on post-war Japan and the effects of the bombings on it's

changing culture.

McLean-Ferris, Laura. “Postcapitalism:Takashi Murakami>” Art Review Oct. 2009: 96-99. BPL.

Wilson Web. Boston Public Library. 20 Mar. 2010 <http://hwwilsonweb.com>.

Interview with Art Review regarding Murakami's art and it's relationship to the fluctuating

economy. He wants to express the poor economic state of Japan through his art. He references

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Francis Bacon and Marie Antoinette and other iconic figures as part of his reasoning.

Schjeldahl, Peter. “Buying it.” The New Yorker 14 Apr. 2008: 68. BPL. Expanded Academic

ASAP. Boston Public Library. 2 Apr. 2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Description of the gallery/shop with Louis Vuitton and the economical implications of this

merging of art and marketing, and also his influence from Warhol when it comes to marketing.

Biography of Murakami, including his young life and influences from pop-culture. Major focus

on Western associations and the mature style that much of his work shares, blending cute

imagery and adult themes. References specific pieces.

"Takashi Murakami's Art Is Really Hard to Describe." New York Mag. 4 Apr. 2008. 15 Apr. 2010

<http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/04/takashi_murakamis_art_is_reall.html>.

Image of Murakami's "Tan Tan Bo Puking" a.k.a. "Gero Tan." Interpretation of his famous

character DOB.

“Takashi Murakami on why the War helped create Japanese pop culture.” Art Radar Asia. 1 Dec.

2008. 15 Apr. 2010 <http://artradarasia.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/takashi-murakami-on-

why-the-war-helped-create-japanese-pop-culture/>

Paraphrase from Murakami's lecture at Christie's on the effects of the war on Japanese culture,

especially focusing on otaku. Identifies himself as a member of otaku culture.

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Works Consulted

Dawson, Layla. “The cyclically renewing Asian metropolis and its depiction in Japanese Manga

comics comes under the spotlight.” The Architectural Review June 2008: 104. BPL.

Expanded Academic ASAP. Boston Public Library. 21 Mar. 2010

<http://galegroup.com>.

Only a brief mention of Murakami, but a good review of his style overall (“superflat”) and it's

place in pop culture and history.

Goldstein, Andrew M. "Nervous Art World Faces Reality: 'Everything Is Negative'" New York 3

Nov. 2008: 12. BPL. Expanded Academic ASAP. Boston Public Library. Web. 2 Apr.

2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Very short article on Murakami's opinions of the art economy. Murakami implies that now that

the money is becoming less important, the concepts will become a focus. References similarity to

Damien Hirst when it comes to ridiculously pricey art.

Hackett, Regina. “POP STARS.” Modern Painters Oct. 2009: 50-57. BPL. Wilson Web. Boston

Public Library. 20 Mar. 2010 <http://hwwilsonweb.com>.

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Article about an art exhibition of works seemingly inspired by Warhol. Includes little information

about Murakami other than a nice summary of his style (“factory worker meets toy story”) and

some images of his sculptures.

Hauser, Kitty. “Superflat: Kitty Hauser on fan fare.” Artforum International Oct. 2004: 129-130.

BPL. Infotrac. Boston Public Library. 6 Apr. 2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Brief summary of his rise to fame and public reception. Also mentions his influences in marketing

by Bill Gates and Warhol, and his intent to target the Western audience. Discusses his work as

fuel for the otaku culture, and a definition of what otaku is and what it means to pop culture.

Focuses on his sculpture “My Lonesome Cowboy” and its influences from Warhol (from whom

he got the name of the sculpture) and the video game Final Fantasy: showcasing his ability to

appeal to both the higher art world and the rest of the world, such as the otaku subculture.

Herman, James Patrick, and Lindzi Scharf. "Parties!(Hot Stuff; Scene & Heard; Parties!)." In

Style Jan. 2008: 143. BPL. Expanded Academic ASAP. Boston Public Library. Web. 6 Apr. 2010

<http://galegroup.com>.

Description of an evening at a Los Angeles gala involving Murakami and many other celebrities,

including Marc Jacobs, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Owen Wilson, and Kanye West.

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Includes Marc Jacobs talking about the influence Murakami has on him. Shows Murakami's

social status.

“Media Guy's Pop Pick: (c)Murakami; Our columnist's current media obsession.” Advertising

Age 31 March 2008: 22. BPL. Expanded Academic ASAP. Boston Public Library. 2 Apr.

2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Interpretation of the addition of the copyright symbol on Murakami's name, as it has often been

presented. Discussion of the opening of his exhibition at The Brooklyn Museum of Art in New

York.

"Murakami, Takashi." UXL Newsmakers. Ed. Allison McNeill, Judy Galens, and Kelle S.

Sisung. Vol. 3. Detroit: UXL, 2005. 475-482. BPL. Gale Virtual Reference Library.

Boston Public Library. 6 Apr. 2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Praise for Murakami's public art and the kid-like awe it inspires, and examples of these works.

Also, talks about Murakami's ability to make “high art,” but also successfully commercialize

some of his products. Also, critics reviews of his aggressive marketing style, and his response.

Seaman, Donna. “Little Boy: The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture.” Booklist 1 June 2005:

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1738. BPL. Infotrac. Boston Public Library. 6 Apr. 2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Review of Murakami's book, “Little Boy: The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture,” which

includes the audience (as Seaman sees it) of the book as being “manga and anime enthusiasts.”

Seaman, Donna. “Top 10 arts criticism.” Booklist 1 Nov. 2005: 23. BPL. Infotrac. Boston Public

Library. 6 Apr. 2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Summary of Murakami's book “Little Boy: The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture,” in which

Murakami describes the influence of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and manga and

anime on postwar art from Japan.

"Superflatbush: with its groovy Murakami show, Brooklyn's got a brand new bag." New York 31

Mar. 2008: 12. BPL. Expanded Academic ASAP. Boston Public Library. 6 Apr. 2010

<http://galegroup.com>.

Interview with Murakami. He compares himself, arrogantly, to the Beatles and the Rolling

Stones. Also, Murakami puts forth his belief that the art market will crash, and what he will do

afterward.

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Trebay, Guy. “Amid the Bust, the Boom Boom.” The New Yorker 20 Sep. 2009: 1. BPL.

Infotrac. Boston Public Library. 6 Apr. 2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Describing the interviewing process of Murakami, overall showing him as being a stuck up

celebrity, and very rude. Interview happens the night before a big exhibition, at one of his

parties.

Trebay, Guy. “This Is Not A Sidewalk Bag.” The New York Times 6 Apr. 2006: 1. BPL. Infotrac.

Boston Public Library. 6 Apr. 2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Discussing Murakami and Marc Jacobs’ collaboration on the Louis Vuitton handbags, and the

meaning it could hold. The chairman of Louid Vuitton holds the belief that the bags are colorful

and happy and if they continue to put forth such happy looking products then New York can be

strong again (after 9/11).

Vogel, Carol. “At Art Basel, Old Names And Few Showstoppers.” The New Yorker 5 June 2008:

E1. BPL. Infotrac. Boston Public Library. 6 Apr. 2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Murakami attended an art exhibition and bought some pieces from other artists. Also, some of

his pieces sold for large sums of money (8 million for the Buddha).

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Vogel, Carol. “Watch out, warhol, here's Japanese shock pop.” The New York Times 2 Apr. 2008:

E1. BPL. Infotrac. Boston Public Library. 6 Apr. 2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Murakami’s views on his “$;Murakami'” exhibition, including the famous handbags. Also

includes some points of skepticism of his marriage between art and commerce.

Zjawinski, Sonia. “Made For The USA.” Wired June 2008: 92. BPL. Infotrac. Boston Public

Library. 6 Apr. 2010 <http://galegroup.com>.

Summary of the success of three of Murakami's most successful students. Most of his students are

former workers at his Kaikai Kiki art factory. The three students included are Al Yamaguchi,

Erina Matsui, Chiho Aoshima.

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Giant Magical Princess! She’s Walking Down the Streets Of Akihabara!

Tan Tan Bo Puking, a.k.a. Gero Tan

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Little Boy

Time Bokan

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Second Mission Project ko2

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