Takashi Murakami is stepping on the tail of success
By Indigo Craane (Opinion Editor)
Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow, Takashi Murakami’s exhibit in downtown Los Angeles’ Broad Museum, is a trip. For a more accurate description, it is like a frenetic Disneyland for the eyes.
Takashi Murakami is a famed Japanese artist best known for the art movement he started called “Superflat.” Greatly influenced by Japanese manga and anime, the style combines the charm of commercial graphic design with the aesthetic of fine art, producing a hybrid art new to the art industry. The term is also used to describe the shallow consumer culture post-World War II. Murakami became one of the most influential contemporary artists of this decade. Transcending a multi-generational platform, Murakami has been a subject amongst art connoisseurs, popular celebrity icons and even hype-beasts. He has even collaborated with rapper Kanye West, alongside having a fashion line with designer Louis Vuitton.
“Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow” displayed all of Broad’s collections of his works alongside other immersive installations. 18 pieces in total, the exhibit features a range of art forms, varying from wallpaper works to sculptures to paintings. However, the centerpiece was Murakami’s monumental 82-foot-long painting, “In the Land of the Dead, Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow.” The piece was so long that it had to be split in two and put across both walls of a hall-like room. Inspired by the Chinese mythology of Daoist immortals, Murakami made this piece as a response to the disasters that struck Japan in 2011: a tsunami, earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown.
The pieces displayed in the exhibit range all of Murakami’s career, but even then, each piece is unmistakable “Murakami.” Using large-scale canvas, cartoon characters and bright colors, alongside elements from modern Japanese culture, Murakami uses these joyful components to approach heavy subjects of grief, tragedy and war. At first glance, his piece is bright and nearly like eye candy. However, on a closer look, there can be gruesome images of warfare, devils and even death.
The first opening reception since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Murakami exhibit at the Broad brought a crowd that had a range of all ages. Although the showcase closed on Sept. 25, it marks a welcome of a disturbing style to the art world.
Artist Murakami depicts his unique style of art through his character, “Nurse Ko2”.