Superflat Industry: The Murakami Machine

`Chakras Gate` by Takashi Murakami

To understand a culture, one must look at its history. Artists have been challenged throughout time to be the record-keepers of a society’s inner most identity whilst telling the story of a people and place. Takashi Murakami is one such artist who has devoted his oeuvre to engendering the tales of his nation’s most traumatic times; that of World War II and beyond. His ability to subsume the voice of a growing subculture of post-modern Japan during times of regeneration and reidentification was opportune and deeply informative. Murakami’s work since the early 1990’s and beyond has been dedicated to dispelling ideas of human monotony and instilling the notion of Japan’s readiness to be independent of Western influence in search of true selfhood. He was subject to an unstable and underserved Japanese market which did little to nourish and uplift young artists, and this alone became a major catalyst in Murakami’s approach to modern art in Japan and the world.

Takashi Murakami is the godfather of the Superflat theory and an astute critique of Japan’s reliance on American ascendency. Post-war Japan was gravely subject to American occupation to the degree that Murakami felt his people fell victim to psychological infancy without any notion of social order and nationalistic identity. Identity and belonging were two driving forces behind much of Murakami’s most famous works, although looking to the past and understanding his nation’s journey intimately contributed to his storytelling.

From the `Murakami by Murakami` exhibition in Oslo, Norway. © Valerij Milanovic

One cannot mention Murakami without first relating the idea of the otaku and their function within Japanese culture. The otaku are the diehard anime and manga collective who were the main drivers in spreading this influence both inside and outside of Japan. They lie within a subculture of Japan; the youth of a nation who turned inward for social comforts and took great pride in a form of artwork which was born in the outer reaches of contemporary culture. Murakami was instrumental in ensuring both anime and manga survived multiple controversies in Japanese history regarding the connection between young people who loved these artforms and their potential for violence. With the emergence of the Miyazaki killer of 1993 and the Aum Shinrikyo attacks of 1995, parents of the otaku were fearful that their children, who shared an adoration for anime much in the same way as these maleficent villains, were bound for savagery and therefore drew a direct line between anime and criminality. Murakami recognized this connection and drew his own delineation describing the otaku as contrasting with this vile prescription despite their shared interests. Suffice it to say, anime may not have cemented itself in the United States, and across the globe, without Takashi Murakami and his pacification of this emerging artform.

Takashi’s Second Mission Project Ko2 published by Hiropon Factory, Tokyo 2000

In his efforts to subvert the negative narrative attached to Japanese pop-art and anime culture, Murakami ingeniously produced his breakthrough exhibit, Second Mission Project Ko2 (1999), in collaboration with designer Bome and Vi-Shop, to produce a sequence of the evolution of the super-girl manga figurine from human to machine. This exhibition encapsulates the perversity of the otaku culture while celebrating the human condition; one where sex, love, wantonness, and expression are recognized and put on display. This delicate dance between reverence and exposure was initially difficult for the otaku to digest, but the intention far outweighed the intimate visual representation of the transformation of this figure. The otaku was not being exposed, rather they were being told it was acceptable to be human in a time where their most innate desires were nearly discouraged, dismantled, and unmanifested.

`Red Demon and Blue Demon with 48 Arhats` by Takashi Murakami

Takashi Murakami is a true artist. He believes in the notion of sharing Japanese artwork globally and works tirelessly to showcase emerging artists through his annual GEISAI art festival, hosted in Tokyo and reminiscent of the worldwide Art Basel exhibits across Switzerland and the world. The GEISAI is produced through Murakami’s art production house, Kaikai Kiki Co. (originally the Hiropon Factory), his personal homage to Andy Warhol’s factory in NYC – and is a place for young artists to train in their craft without an attachment to formal schooling or classical instruction. This festival’s importance is weighed heavily due to its accessibility to upcoming artists and their audience. It’s a way to blur the lines between high and low art and make them nearly inexistent. This is Murakami’s testament to the power of art and the notion that those who can, do, and shall inform the culture of art despite their station in life.

And Then Pink 'DOB' Murakami 1999

Despite his initial visit to New York City in the early 1980’s, Murakami rose to fame with the introduction of his DOB (dobozite) character of 1993 and his appropriation of mainstream figures. Foregoing his original ambition to work in the animation industry, Murakami was able to create a lane of his own with his bold pop infused illustrations. He was a fan of developing images and products which favored the mainstream Sanrio and Disney style while utilizing their likeness to comment on mass-consumer culture while recontextualizing their image in the market. While attending the Tokyo National University of Art and Music, he labored in the study of Nihonga which is the analysis of conventional Japanese artistic traditions. To merit, Murakami’s achievement as an Art History PhD allows him to inherently understand pop-culture in Japan and around the world. He studied popular American art, drew influences from Chinese painting and European surrealism and used this information to develop his unique style which has since flooded the American market to this day.

Important textual and visual moments in Murakami’s profile include Superflat (2000), Coloriage (2002) and, Little Boy (2005), all of which left a lasting public impression insofar as disrupting the balance and spectrum of acceptable art. With such fine attention to his own history, Murakami takes a dark moment in the Japanese narrative, reclaiming the infantile phrase “Little Boy,” a codename for the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during the start of World War II, and turning it into something light, beautiful, and powerful. Still, these three exhibits served as Murakami’s thesis on art-history and delved into his theory of Superflat Japanese art. Through these essays and representations, Murakami introduced the world to Japan’s exploding subculture.

Superflat Doraemon (2020), Takashi Murakami's Solo Show at Tokyo’s Perrotin Gallery

The Superflat theory compares postmodern Japanese style to the digital ‘flatten image’ function in Photoshop whilst speaking to the “flattening” of the Japanese hierarchy and the flat nature of the classical art of Japan which can be traced back to the emakimono picture scrolls of the 12th century. Flat art recalls the simple use of line, form, and shape in Japanese art as well as the elimination of depth, perception, and shading, so often seen in contemporary Western art. The Superflat style is in essence a poetic recession from American influence in search of true Japanese identity.

Hiropon (2017) for “Murakami by Murakami” in Oslo, Norway

Takashi Murakami’s influence is eminent to contemporary culture as it became the voice of resilience and reinvention for an entire nation. Despite critics who hearken on about his true intentions citing the fact that he’s paired with mainstream labels to widen his visibility and brand, Murakami’s resolve shines through his work. At the inset, Murakami is associated with creating kawaii, “cute art” and still, his art is engrained with rich history and a profound authenticity. His process of blending fun, familiar imagery with disturbing themes has been an experiment in the human condition, forcing his audience to grapple with ideas such as sexuality and self, whilst questioning not only the subject but its environment as well. Murakami was keen to work with extensive, bold palettes and produced work across various mediums including fine fabrics, gloss prints, and both mini and massive sculptures. With production houses in Brooklyn, Long Island, New York, Murakami has penetrated the artist’s market with deep impact. He’s a keen businessman and intellectual artist with his eye on the future and a firm understanding of the past. A study of Takashi’s collective, Hiropon (1997) and, My Lonesome Cowboy (1998), a reconciliation of Warhol’s film, Lonesome Cowboys (1968), is a stark insight into the prowess of Murakami’s ability to shock audiences and supplant the international art market

Takashi Murakami’s cover artwork for Kanye West’s ‘Graduation’ (2007) album

Murakami has made a name for himself in the mainstream, indeed. From collaborations with Vans (VansXMurakami), pairing with Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, to producing cover art for Kanye West’s Graduation (2007) album, he’s created a formula for reaching a broader audience through his vision. With his passion for pop and signature jellyfish-eye symbol plastered across his designs, Takashi Murakami is one of the greatest artists of today. He made his way onto Time Magazine’s list of “100 Most Influential People” in 2008 and has continued to evolve with emerging trends.

Murakami's Flowers bit image NFT

In the spirit of onward, Murakami has kept his ear to the ground, specifically in the digital realm. Non-fungible-tokens, or NFT’s, are a new wave phenomenon with no end in sight. This ultramodern medium for the digital art trade has tipped the balance of accessibility and value in art to the extent that it’s still unexplored territory. Murakami was planning to release a collection of NFT’s on the platform, OpenSea, before making the decision to think through the longevity and profitability of that move. The businessman that he is, he’s currently in talks about potentially creating his own platform to sell his digital work, his first release slated to be a bit-collection of the highly popular Flowers motif and DOB character.

727 (1998) is the contemporary evolution of a character named Mr. DOB 

This strategy is a testimony to the mind of Murakami and his ability to see into the future. He’s able to evolve, adapt and accept the way things are in order to recognize the potential for what could be. He is the epitome of a renaissance man and the embodiment of the messages of awareness and hope he so clearly imparts through his work.

Murakami’s Tokyo Tower, 2009

The future is in front of us, and Takashi Murakami is lightyears ahead. With his power to open up the world, we can’t wait to see what he does next.