http://www.exb.fr/en/catalogue/41-takashi-murakami-versailles.html

Takashi Murakami & Louis Vuitton: Superflat meets Superfashion

Takashi Murakami & Louis Vuitton: Superflat meets Superfashion

   When these two giants met, things went wild. The first collection of bags Murakami designed for the fashion house (at the order of creative director, Marc Jacobs) rejuvenated the brand–Louis Vuitton wasn’t just high-end French couture anymore, it was kawaii! Everyone loved the collection, and the West took notice–suddenly, Murakami and his Superflatness became a big name, and not just for those in the Art scene. In fact, Murakami was worried that his initial association with LV would mislead his new found fans into thinking he was simply a hand bag designer. In aTIME Magazine article, he said that he was going to take a break from the commercial and re-establish himself as a fine artist. This reaction is strange, considering that Murakami widely promotes his art as commercial–as only commercial–as if there was no difference between the two. He even included a mini Louis Vuitton boutique in his traveling ©Murakami show, which toured around the US. It’s this idea of superflat and commercial consumption as indistinguishable that seems, well, a little more complicated than that.

Truly, there are darker meanings behind much of Murakami’s work, along with the artists he’s recruited to be a part of his superflat movement. Though his art, and this collaboration with Louis Vuitton, seem like Warholian simulacrum (a meaningless, fun copy of something that isn’t good or bad)it really isn’t ambiguous at all, and that’s what makes the art complicated. Either it’s subversive, or it’s some kind of unfunny perpetuation of Japan-as-empty, because, well, it’s the cuteness, not themeaning, that sells—  and boy, does it sell!

Empty or Full?

What appears to be especially troubling about this Murakami/Vuitton collaboration is this idea  (proposed by Marc Jacobs) that Louis Vuitton provides the “history” and Murakami provides the image that’s overlaid. Indeed, Murakami didn’t design a new LV logo—as that would misplace (or entirely remove) what is signified by the logo—“classic”, “French”, “cultured”, “wealthy” etc. Murakami’s addition, one could argue, is so successfully connected with such a loaded logo because it fails to signify anything other than “cute!” We’ve encountered cultural oderlessness before, and this certainly fits into that pattern of things that are vaguely Japanese; and while Jacobs and the brand didn’t try to undermine Murakami’s Japanese-ness, it’s not a big part of the collaboration. This is like superflat gone way, way too flat—there’s nothing political left, nothing serious left. To return to that TIME magazine article, perhaps Murakami was concerned that the West cannot recognize the politics behind his superflat movement as easily as, say, a Japanese audience can—and that this artist, who claims he doesn’t distinguish between art and commerce, well, really—he does. There is thought behind superflatness, even though most take his work as psychedelic eye candy.

Real eye candy

If we look at the advertisements Murakami created to “celebrate” his six year collaboration with Louis Vuitton, there are some striking aspects that can lead you to think, well, maybe it’s subversive (on Murakami’s part) after all? Is Murakami playing a trick on all of is, is he laughing all the way to the bank? Let’s look at one: What’s really going on here?The panda physically literally consumes the girl, and then she falls into this insane fantasy of color and surface—the entire commercial perpetuates this idea of Japan-as-fantasy, this Japan-for-kids, and, much more importantly, this Japan-as-entirely-unreadable.

 If we buy this Murakami-Vuitton bag, do we get to consume the girl (read: Japanese mystique, Japanese cute) entirely? By owning a Murakami bag, do we own a part of this fantasy? Yes, we do—at least, that’s what they want us to think. Is this a good thing?

Indeed, UCLA Sociologist Adrian Farell, who has spent time studying the Murakami “phenomenon”, has this to say about the idea of Murakami “tricking” or “playing a joke on” the Western consumer:  

 

Murakami self-consciously sees his art as an inversion of Orientalism. Like others of his generation (he was born in 1963), he grew up obsessed with America’s power over Japan, and with bitter memories of the wartime experience. There is a kind of “passive aggressive” attitude to the West in the work. He is, in fact, a Japanese nationalist, and as such sees his art as a way of playing up to Western stereotypes of Japan, of fooling Western tastes. There is something quite cynical about how he talks about his art strategy to a Japanese audience.

Truly, this attitude must bleed over—there must be some of this passive-aggressive sentiment within Murakami’s work with Louis Vuitton—even though it seems like he respects the fashion house, perhaps he sees it as a double-dupe: not only is he making millions of dollars defacing this glimmering stereotype of Western wealth, he’s also acquiring millions of Western fans who cannot understand what he’s actually doing, making them, not Japan, the infantile, underdeveloped ones. Yet, how successful is this as a political comment (or really, attack) on Western attitudes towards Japan, if most of Murakami’s critiques go unnoticed? Murakami has put himself in a culturally difficult position here, and it will be interesting to see if he ever clearly positions himself against the West.

In the end, does this (ongoing!) collaboration with Louis Vuitton undermine the artistic (political, social) “legitimacy” of superflatness, or does it work perfectly with it? Is the essence of superflat supposed to hide further meaning from the Western consumer, making the real meaning only accessible to the Japanese? These discrepancies are indeed troubling, and sooner or later Murakami either going to have to fully admit or fully deny the meaning behind his art work, or else this simulacrum will become responsible for not only flattening “art”, but also contemporary Japanese culture.

Takashi Murakami-Louis Vuitton collaboration

Superflat First Love-Louis Vuitton

The "sequel" of Superflat Monogram, this new super-cute animation for the French fashion company Louis Vuitton was once again produced by Takashi Murakami. Superflat First Love also marks 6 years of collaboration between the two.

Superflat Monogram-Louis Vuitton

An old louis vuitton commercial made by Takashi Murakami, directed by Mamoru Hosada..

Takashi Murakami at TMAM

Takashi Murakami at Versailles

Interview with Takashi Murakami 村上 隆 at the occasion of his exhibition at the Chateau de Versailles near Paris, France. Interview and video by Christophe Ecoffet.

After Jeff Koons in 2008 and Xavier Veilhan in 2009, this year Takashi Murakami takes over the Château de Versailles. It's Takashi Murakami's first major retrospective in France. VernissageTV correspondent Christophe Ecoffet met the artist in the garden of the palace for an exclusive interview.

On display in the 15 rooms of the Château and in the gardens are 22 major works, 11 of them have been created exclusively for this exhibition. According to the curator of the show, Laurent Le Bon, Murakami Versailles "is a walk, a trail throughout the "landscape area" of Versailles... The general public will be able to view and admire his creations, which are often technical masterpieces. The allegories and other myths of Versailles thus carry on a dialogue with the dreamlike creatures of Takashi Murakami, sometimes inspired by traditional Japanes art."

Among the works presented to the public for the first time are the giant "Oval Buddha" on the Water Parterre in the garden, "Flower Matango" in the Hall of Mirrors, and "Yume Lion (The Dream Lion) in the Apollo Salon of the Château.

Takashi Murakami Timeline

Takashi Murakami Timeline

1996 - The Hiropon Factory is founded in the Marunuma Art Residence at 493 Kamiuchimagi, Asaka-shi, Saitama.

1998 - The Hiropon Factory New York Studio is founded in Brooklyn, New York.

1999 - (April) Takashi Murakami’s solo exhibition “DOB in the Strange Forest” is held at the Parco Department Store Gallery in Shibuya.

2000 - (February) Takashi Murakami exhibits together with Miltos Manetas at the Italian Gallery Pinksummer [1]. The exhibition is called “Murakami-Manetas” and it that occasion the two artists hold a conference at the Brera ArtSchool in Milan where Murakami introduces his ideas for the SuperFlat and Manetas his ideas for what became the Neen art movement. 
2000 - (March) The Hiropon Factory website is launched. 
2000 - (April) Takashi Murakami curates the “Superflat” exhibition at the Parco Department Store Gallery in Shibuya.

2001 - (January) Takashi Murakami curates the “Superflat” exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; draws audience of 95,000. 
2001 - (April) Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. is founded and capitalized at 3,000,000 yen; takes over operation of the Hiropon Factory.] 
2001 - (May) Studio #4, specializing in the production of sculpture and other three dimensional artworks, is established in Shiki-shi, Saitama. 
2001 - (June) Studio #3 is established in the Marunuma Art Residence premises. 
2001 - (July) An i-mode website “Geijutsu Dojo GP” is launched. 
2001 - (August) Takashi Murakami solo exhibition “Summon Monsters? Open the Door? Heal? Or Die?” is unveiled at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. 
2001 - (September) “Geijutsu Dojo Grand Prix,” a Takashi Murakami solo exhibition related special event is held.

2002 - (March) “GEISAI #1” is held at the Tokyo Tower Amusement Hall; attracts 3,006 people. 
2002 - (June) Takashi Murakami curates “Coloriage” exhibition at the Cartier Foundation in Paris; Takashi Murakami’s solo exhibition “Kawaii Summer Vacation” is held at the Cartier Foundation in Paris. 
2002 - (August) “GEISAI #2” is held at the Tokyo Big Sight West 4 Hall; attracts 5,332 people.

2003 - (March) “GEISAI #3” is held at the Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Hall A; attracts 6,981 people. 
2003 - (September) “GEISAI #4” is held at the Tokyo Big Sight West 4 Hall; attracts 5,332 people. 
2003 - (December) “GEISAI Museum” is held at the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower on the 24th Floor; attracts 4,824 people.

2004 - (March) “Kaikai Kiki Animation Studio” is established at 4-1, Daikanyama-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. “GEISAI #5” is held at the Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Hall A; attracts 7,798 people. 
2004 - (September) “GEISAI #6” is held at the Tokyo Big Sight East 4 Hall; attracts 7,244 people. 
2004 - (December) “Kaikai Kiki Animation Studio Homepage” is launched.

2005 - (March) “GEISAI #7” is held at the Tokyo Big Sight East 4 Hall; attracts 7,591 people. 
2005 - (June) Takashi Murakami curates “Little Boy” exhibition at the Japan Society in New York.

2007 - (June) Takashi Murakami designs covers for Kanye West’s singles, “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and “Stronger” and directs the artwork for the whole of his Graduation album. 
2008 - (October 29 - February 11, 2008) ©MURAKAMI exhibit at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA in Los Angeles, California. 
2008 - (April 5 - July 13, 2008) Murakami at the Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York.
2008 - (May 3 - June 14, 2008) New paintings at the Blum & Poe Gallery in Los Angeles, California.
2008 - (September 29, 2008 - January, 2009) Exhibition at the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2009 - (February 17 – May 31, 2009) Exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Bilbao, Spain.

Takashi Murakami Biography

Takashi Murakami

Takashi Murakami (村上 隆 Murakami Takashi^?, born in Tokyo) is an internationally prolific contemporary Japanese artist. He works in fine arts media—such as painting and sculpture—as well as what is conventionally considered commercial media —fashion, merchandise, and animation— and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts. He coined the term superflat, which describes both the aesthetic characteristics of the Japanese artistic tradition and the nature of post-war Japanese culture and society. Superflat is also used as a moniker to describe Murakami’s own artistic style and that of other Japanese artists he has influenced.

Murakami is the founder and President of Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., through which he manages the careers of several younger artists and organizes the biannual art fair GEISAI. 

Life and career

Academic Background and Early Career

Takashi Murakami was born and raised in Tokyo.(Japan) From early on, he was an enthusiastic follower of animation and manga (Japanese comics), and aspired to one day work in the animation industry. He attended T.U.A Tokyo University of the Arts, originally seeking to acquire the drafting skills necessary to become an animator, but eventually majored in Nihonga, the ‘traditional’ style of Japanese painting that incorporates traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and subjects. Though he would go on to earn a Ph.D. in Nihonga, he gradually became disillusioned with the field’s insular, highly political world and started to explore more contemporary artistic styles, mediums, and strategies.

Murakami was unsatisfied with the state of contemporary art in Japan, believing it to be “a deep appropriation of Western trends.” Thus, much of his early work was done in the spirit of social criticism and satire. Efforts from this period include performance art (Osaka Mixer Project, 1992), parodies of the “message” art popular in Japan in the early 90’s, (DOBOZITE DOBOZITE OSHAMANBE, 1993), and conceptual works (e.g. Randoseru Project, 1991). He also began developing his own pop icon, “Mr. DOB,” which would later develop into a form of self-portraiture, the first of several endlessly morphing and recurring motifs seen throughout his work. Though he garnered attention, many of his early pieces were not initially well received in Japan.

New York

In 1994, Murakami received a fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council and participated in the PS1 International Studio Program in New York for a year. During his stay, he was exposed to and highly inspired by Western contemporary artists such asAnselm Kiefer and especially the simulationism of artists such as Jeff Koons. While in New York, he established a small studio, which, together with the Hiropon Factory in Japan, became the precursor to his company Kaikai Kiki. After returning to Japan, he would develop the core concepts behind his artistic practice and begin exhibiting regularly at major galleries and institutions across Europe and America.

Strategic Approach

Murakami has expressed since early on a frustration with the lack of a reliable and sustainable art market in post-war Japan. Largely for this reason, he formulated a strategy wherein he would first establish himself in the Western art world and then import himself back to Japan, building a new type of art market in the process.^[6] In order to create something rooted in his own Japanese culture and history but still fresh and valid internationally, he began searching for something that could be considered ‘uniquely Japanese.’ After concluding that elements of ‘high’ art were confounding at best, he began to focus on Japan’s ‘low’ culture, especially anime and manga, and the larger subculture of otaku. He felt that these had the potential to be the key elements for his work. His signature artistic style and motifs (cute/disturbing anime-esque characters rendered in bright colors, flat and highly glossy surfaces, life-size sculptures of anime figurines) derived from this strategic concept.

Superflat

In 2000, Murakami published his “Superflat” theory in the catalogue for a group exhibition of the same name that he curated for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. The theory posits that there is a legacy of flat, 2-dimensional imagery which has existed throughout Japanese art history and continues today in manga and anime. This style differentiates itself from the western approach in its emphasis on surface and use of flat planes of color. Superflat also served as a commentary on post-war Japanese society in which, Murakami argues, differences in social class and popular taste have ‘flattened,’ producing a culture with little distinction between ‘high’ and ‘low’. The theory provided the contextual background for his work and he further elaborated on it with the subsequent exhibitions, “Coloriage” (2002, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris) and “Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture” (2005, Japan Society, New York). These exhibitions helped introduce Japan’s lesser-known creative culture overseas and such curatorial projects would become an integral part of Murakami’s multifaceted artistic practice.

In accordance with the Superflat concept, Murakami’s practice involves repackaging elements that are usually considered “low” or subcultural and presenting them in the “high-art” market. He then further flattens the playing field by repackaging his “high-art” works as merchandise, such as plush toys and T-shirts, making them available at more affordable prices.

Factory

In 1996, Murakami launched the Hiropon Factory, his production workshop, in order to work on an increasingly larger scale and in a more diverse array of media. His model inherits the atelier system which has long existed in Japanese painting, printmaking and sculpture, and is common to anime and manga enterprises, such as Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli. In 2001, Hiropon Factory was incorporated as Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd.

Collaborations 

In 2002, at the invitation of designer Marc Jacobs, Murakami began his long-lasting collaboration with the fashion brand Louis Vuitton. He began by contributing artwork which was used in the design of a series of handbags. The series re-envisioned the fashion house’s signature monogram and was a huge commercial success. Though he had previously collaborated with fashion designers such as Issey Miyake Men by Naoki Takizawa, his work with Louis Vuitton won him widespread fame and notoriety as an artist who blurs the line between ‘high art’ and commercialism. It also elevated him to celebrity status in his home country of Japan.

In 2007, Murakami provided the cover artwork for rapper Kanye West’s Graduation album and directed an animated music video for West’s song Good Morning.

In both cases above, Murakami would later ‘re-appropriate’ these projects by incorporating imagery from such projects into his paintings and sculptures, further blurring the boundaries between art and commercial branding and even questioning the existence of such a boundary.

Asked by interviewer Magdalene Perez about straddling the line between art and commercial products, Murakami responded:

"I don’t think of it as straddling. I think of it as changing the line. What I’ve been talking about for years is how in Japan, that line is less defined. Both by the culture and by the post-War economic situation. Japanese people accept that art and commerce will be blended; and in fact, they are surprised by the rigid and pretentious Western hierarchy of ‘high art.’ In the West, it certainly is dangerous to blend the two because people will throw all sorts of stones. But that's okay—I’m ready with my hard hat." 

Murakami has also collaborated with a wide range of creators and industries in Japan, a prominent example being the image characters he created for the press relations campaign of the major urban real estate development Roppongi Hills.

In 2009 a Murakami sculpture collaboration with Pharrell Williams was revealed at Art Basel, which sold for $2m.

Market Value

In November, 2003, ArtNews reported Murakami's work as being among the most desired in the world. Hiropon, a life-sized satirical sculpture of an anime character with gigantic lactating breasts, sold for $427,500 at Christie's auction house in May, 2002. One year later a second sculpture, Miss Ko2, sold for $567,500. His work has continued to rise in value and in May 2008, "My Lonesome Cowboy" (1998), an anime-inspired sculpture of a masturbating boy, sold for $13.5 million at Sotheby's.

Current

From 2007 to 2009, Murakami’s first retrospective ©Murakami traveled from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, to the Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York, the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt, and lastly the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain. The exhibition earned widespread attention for, among other things, including a fully functioning Louis Vuitton boutique as one of the exhibits.

In 2008, Murakami was named one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People", the only visual artist included.

Since 2010, Murakami has supported "CHAOS*LOUNGE"(ja:カオス*ラウンジ).("CHAOS*LOUNGE" is one of modern art group in Japan. See also: Pixiv#Chaos Lounge controversy)

In September, 2010 Murakami became the third contemporary artist, and first Japanese, to exhibit his works at the Palace of Versailles in France, filling 15 rooms and the park with his sculptures, paintings, a decorative carpet, and lamps.

In February 2012, Murakami opened an exhibition in Doha, Qatar. Titled Murakami-Ego, the exhibition showcased around 60 old works alongside new ones designed especially for the exhibition. Among the new ones, a 100-metre long wall painting depicting the suffering of the Japanese people after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Artwork

Murakami’s art encompasses a wide range of mediums and is generally described as superflat. His work has been noted for its use of color, incorporation of motifs from Japanese traditional and popular culture, flat/glossy surfaces, and content that could be described at once as “cute,” “psychedelic,” or “satirical”. Among his most famous recurring motifs are smiling flowers, iconic characters, mushrooms, skulls, Buddhist iconography, and the sexual complexes of otaku culture.

In addition to large paintings such as 727 (permanent collection Museum of Modern Art, New York) and Tan Tan Bo Puking - a.k.a. Gero Tan, he has also produced sculptures, balloons, ‘all-over’ wallpaper installations, animated works, prints, posters, and assorted merchandise.

On 21 June 2011, Google featured a doodle tagged as "First Day of Summer" which was created by Murakami. This was accompanied by a Winter Solstice doodle for the Southern Hemisphere.

Kaikai Kiki and Artist Management

Murakami has incorporated his operations as Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. in Japan (2001), Kaikai Kiki New York, LLC in New York (2001), and Kaikai Kiki LA, LLC in Los Angeles (2010). Kaikai Kiki executes Murakami’s wide range of artistic endeavors and consists of both offices and production studios. In addition to handling the production and promotion of Murakami’s artwork and projects, the company manages the careers of select young artists, organizes international art projects, produces and promotes merchandise, and handles the organization and operation of the GEISAI art fair.

Having earned success and recognition internationally, Murakami has devoted himself to nurturing and supporting the careers of a younger generation of Japanese artists. Likening the operation to that of a record label, he offers both logistic support and practical career advice. Through this endeavor, he also seeks to build an original and sustainable art market in Japan.

In 2008, Kaikai Kiki converted the basement space beneath its Tokyo office into an art gallery. Kaikai Kiki Gallery has held exhibitions not only for the artists under Kaikai Kiki’s management but also international names such as Mark Grotjahn and Friedrich Kunath. All exhibitions are curated by Murakami.

A second Gallery called Hidari Zingaro was opened in 2010 and has now expanded to include four separate locations within the Nakano Broadway shopping mall in Nakano, Tokyo. 

GEISAI

Since 2002, Murakami has been organizing a unique direct-participatory art fair called GEISAI. GEISAI is held twice a year, currently once in Tokyo and once in Taipei, and has also been held in Miami. Rather than give space to pre-screened galleries, GEISAI allows artists to create their own booths and interact directly with potential buyers.