Takashi Murakami is a modern day marvel. A genius. A beautiful mind. His art inspires in ways that words cannot express.<\/p>\n
Hailing from Japan where there is always a “right” way to do everything imaginable, he does it “Takashi’s” way. While he holds a PhD in Nihonga, the style of art that is true to traditional Japanese techniques and materials, Takashi has built a strong following at home in Japan and around the globe with everything from painting, to sculpture, to fashion, to toys, and even animated film. Despite what was set for him to be “the plan” and “the path” to follow, Takashi has lived his professional artistic career Takashi’s way.<\/p>\n Takashi Murakami\n
For the past fifteen years, his artistic concept of “Superflat” has transcended the art world from East to West, from high fashion to attainable, from fancy galleries to\u00a0vending machines. The concept of Superflat is very much Takashi’s way of compressing high and low cultures together to create an inspiring irony that is art.<\/p>\n
This high\/low theme is confusing to many in the fine art world, but it has quickly gained acceptance as his style that makes his art unlike any other. In the same month one can find news of his pieces selling for over seven figures while also appearing on the cover of the street art magazine Juxtapoz<\/em>. The irony again is the juxtaposition of where Takashi sits in the confines of predefined worlds by others. He has created his own world, he has created his own way – Takashi’s way.<\/p>\n Takashi Murakami & Marc Jacobs (2002)\n The past fifteen years have been a wild ride for Takashi Murakami. He started gaining attention around the globe in the ’90s, but 2000 brought\u00a0us Superflat that launched a post-modern art movement combining influence of the worlds of anime and manga.<\/p>\n Shortly after a successful run of the Superflat gallery tour in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Seattle, Marc Jacobs of Louis Vuitton contacted Takashi Murakami to collaborate on a series of products that would forever change the profile and persona of the LV brand as well as push Murakami’s profile forward into Western fashion culture.<\/p>\n Multicolore, the 32-color monogram of Louis Vuitton, became a staple and unique graphics and limited runs designed by Takashi were high sought after and chased by collectors and connoisseurs of high end fashion.<\/p>\n Through collaborations, Takashi Murakami has exposed his work and talents to people from so many different cultures and interest based sub-cultures across the globe.<\/p>\n Takashi personified the complicated and complex life of Kanye West through the Dropout Bear’s coming to life and journey through a world of Superflat in 2007. \u00a0The dichotomy of the high and low are perfectly illustrated in the “Good Morning” video as Kanye<\/del> the Dropout Bear navigates the “Good Life” and a bad day\u00a0that ends with him receiving a degree in Hip Hop, but leaving the viewer to interpret if such an accolade is a good or bad thing. Just when you thought you knew everything and saw everything there was to see, reading about Superflat and Takashi’s way of art gave me pause and a new interpretation of the video.<\/p>\n