Takashi Murakami Visits Gagosian Gallery, Hong Kong
By Noelle Bodick
Takashi Murakami’s iconic, smiley-faced flowers sprouted in Hong Kong this winter. Opening November 29 at Gagosian Gallery, “Flowers & Skulls” drew the local press to the preview, where reporters dispensed smiles as manically cheery as those painted on the band of daisies surrounding them. Although Murakami—a powerful self-promoter—emerged internationally in the 1990s, “Flowers & Skulls” marks his first exhibition in the city.
Early in his career, the artist became famous for employing classical Japanese painting techniques to depict pop, anime icons, and his artistic practice continues to fuse divides in the art world: between high and low art (designing handbags for Louis Vuitton) and between East and West (his famous Mr. DOB character crosses Mickey Mouse with an anime demon). Many hands from his art corporation Kaikai Kiki Co. Ltd execute the painstakingly demanding designs, a collaboration which arguably banishes the distinction between artist and artisan. Running on a 24-hour clock, his studios even eliminate night and day.
