Takashi Murakami: The 500 Arhats

Takashi Murakami presents The 500 Arhats, the first large-scale Murakami exhibition to be displayed in Japan in 14 years.

Pioneer of Japanese contemporary art scene, Murakami is known for developing the concept Superflat as a response to the lack of a contemporary art model in his native country that could be called uniquely Japanese. Through Superflat, Murakami linked elements of Otaku culture, character iconography, and Japanese art history against the backdrop of the thematic landscape of post-war Japan. The result was a contemporary art form that combines high/low, ancient/modern, and oriental/occidental art, which can only be found in Japan.

Murakami explored and expanded on this concept through a series of curated exhibitions titled Superflat Trilogy, held at multiple locations around the world. The final chapter of the series, Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture received the 2005 award for Best Thematic Museum Show by the American branch of the International Association of Art Critics.

The long-awaited exhibition features Murakami’s 100 meter long painting, The 500 Arhats, which forms one of the largest paintings ever to be developed in global art history. The painting was created as a symbol of gratitude to the nation of Qatar for being one of the first to extend assistance in the wake of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Unveiled for the first time in Doha, Qatar in 2012, this will be the first time the painting will be on show in Japan.

Alongside the painting, a range of new works by Murakami will be presented. In these works the artist continues to challenge the history of contemporary art, which represents Murakami as a mature artist working with remarkable scale, energy and artistic accomplishment. The new works will include the large-scale sculptures The Birth Cry of the Universe, which is still in production after nearly 10 years and Flame of Desire – Gold. Also on show will be a selection of pieces created specifically for the exhibition from Murakami’s signature series including 727 and Tan Tan Bo, as well as Enso (circle), and silver and gold Karajishi Chinese lion paintings.

Apart from Murakami’s own works, the exhibition will feature a range of paintings by Japanese artists Nagasawa Rosetu and Kano Kazunobu from the Edo era, the final period of traditional Japan. These artworks functioned as inspiration for Takashi Murakami’s The 500 Arhats.

The exhibition will be on display from Saturday 31 October 2015 – Sunday 6 March 2016 at Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan.

www.mori.art.museum
www.takashimurakami.com

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