Scarlet Heart

Material

Steel, synthetic resins, fibreglass, paint, sand; 145 x 130 cm

Dating

2002

About the artwork

edition 3/5

In his works, Takashi Murakami brings his imaginary world into being. Inspired by contemporary and classical Japanese art, Murakami promotes his empire modelled on western standards. His team produces everything from art pieces to Japanese cartoons, so-called Anime, and even toy figures. In doing so, he purposely explored the boundaries between art and commerce. It is exactly this mixture of ‘high’ and ‘low’ art and the introduction of the term ‘Superflat’, which paved his way to fame. ‘Superflat’ represents a philosophical theory, which points out the major differences between the emergence of western pop culture and Japanese post-war society. The theory assumes that the discrepancy in cultural development between the two is due to the situation after the Second World War, which was won by the United States and Great Britain. On one hand, this victory started an economic boom and thereby favoured the development of pop culture and consumer society within the western nations. On the other hand, Japan’s development pointed in the opposite direction. Murakami explained Japan’s situation after the war as follows: “We have experienced a long period of hardship and poverty. We were completely flattened, and have never been able to ‘pop up’ since. I have a word for that ‘Superflat’. The cheerful colours of my works may evoke Pop, but the backdrop of their emergence is completely different.”
The Japanese art movement and culture theory, which goes by the name of ‘Superflat’ observes and interprets Japan’s contemporary culture, especially Otaku, a computer-fixated, virtual lifestyle, which applies as a substitute for reality. Therefore, ‘Superflat’s’ means of expression are deeply rooted in the pictorial tradition and production techniques of Japanese Manga and Anime. Takashi Murakami uses the term ‘Superflat’ to describe different ‘flattened’ forms within Japanese art design, animation, pop culture and fine art but at the same time to characterise his personal style. Murakami’s pieces distinguish themselves by mixing fine art with subculture – elements of traditional Japanese art with postmodern Otaku-culture – thereby trying to appeal to the masses.
This combination can be best demonstrated when looking at the painting ‘Untitled’. Murakami applied the classical techniques, which he had learnt while being a student at the Tokyo art academy. He used the same flat, two-dimensional perspective, which his artistic ancestors had already used and chose a light gold as background, a colour often used in traditional Japanese painting. He then combines his appreciation for time-honoured fine art with contemporary comic-like motifs. All four works of art display two motifs which reappear regularly in Murakami’s oeuvre: eyes and mushrooms.
The eyes, so-called ‘jellyfish eyes’, are part of Murakami’s imaginary world, in which mankind shares the planet with phantasmagorical creatures called ‘Yokai’, traditional monsters of Japanese folklore. Furthermore, the jellyfish eyes foster a dialog between art work and observer by creating a situation of closeness and identification. Murakami discovered that, “the presence of eyes incites spectators to interact with the work.” He firmly believes that the feeling of unease and being watched encourages the observer to look behind the superficial interpretation of his works and to acquire a taste for the profound message.
Aside from the ‘jellyfish eyes’, the representation of mushrooms plays an important part in Murakami’s private mythology. When he was a child, he started to study the mushrooms which grew in his mother’s garden, being captivated by their great variety of shapes. Furthermore, psychoactive fungi take a special place in Japanese culture because rumour has it that they open up a transcendental connection between heaven and earth. But his playful, coloured and innocent mushrooms can also be seen in a different, more serious context. Their distorted outlines and their lamellae which are reminiscent of teeth or shards are proof that Murakami’s creations are not only about nature and extrasensory perception. They are also an allegory for the horror caused by mankind – Japan’s atomic bomb trauma – with the mushroom cloud being the ultimate symbol for it.
The atomic bomb ‘Fat man’, which was dropped over Nagasaki on the 9th of August, 1945, was actually intended for Kokura, the city in which Murakami’s mother lived. His mother repeatedly reminded him of his luck, for if Kokura had not been spared on that specific day, he would never have been born. From this existential-personal perspective, the mushrooms in Murakami’s oeuvre can be seen as a statement against the use of any nuclear energy.
So on one hand, the mushrooms hold an important meaning for the artist personally, on the other hand, they can be used as a symbol for the complicated relationship between the United States and Japan after the Second World War. So far, Murakami’s career has been shaped by this conflicting relationship between Japanese and western – mainly American – art and culture. His artistic background is a mixture of Japanese, American and European traditions. Out of these different visual influences, he formed his individual aesthetics which is characterised by an array of recurrent pictures and icons, originating from these three regions.

About the artist

The works of the Japanese painter and sculptor are often linked to subcultures and Japanese pop media, thereby questioning the concept of ‘fine art’. Murakami studied the semi-traditional Japanese ‘Nihonga’ painting, but considered it to be outdated soon after he had finished his studies. He draws inspiration from the Otaku-subculture and reuses its motifs isolated or in a new context. Other influences include popular genres like Manga and Anime and together, they are all part of Murakami’s art movement ‘Superflat’. His works are deliberately trendy and cartoon-like and do without shades and hatching. His comprehensive oeuvre includes also sculptures, objects and design pieces.
His ‘Kaikai Kiki Company‘, which is based in New York and Tokyo, runs the fabrication and marketing of contemporary Japanese art and represents Takashi Murakami and fellow artists such as Chiho Aoshima, Aya Takano, Chinatsu Ban, Mahomi Kunikata or Rei Sato.
Murakami’s oeuvre, which is referred to as Neo Pop or Pop Surrealism, has already been honoured with several international exhibitions. Additionally, the artist has made a name for himself as a creator of album covers and as a designer of a special edition of Louis Vuitton bags.