Takashi Murakami

TAKASHI MURAKAMI (Tokyo, 1962).
"Kaikai and Kiki collectibles," 2018.
Vinyl. Limited edition of 80 copies.
From Takashi Murakami for complexion.
In their original boxes.
Measurements: 22 x 15 x 9 cm (Kaikai); 19 x 14 x 9 x 9 cm (Kiki); 28 x 19 x 13 cm (box x2).
Kaikai and Kiki are two of the great icons of the famous Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. They represent two spiritual guardians, which took shape from 2000 onwards. They often appear in their sculptural form, as here, but have also starred in animated films. Kaikai, smiling and friendly, is white with bunny ears and displays obvious good humor, while her malevolent counterpart, Kiki, has a pink body, small ears, three eyes and a mischievous smile that is accentuated by her vampire fangs. She has her names Kaikai Kiki written on her ears in Japanese characters, which can be translated as "supernatural, weird." It refers to a Japanese phrase that appeared in the 16th century to describe the works of the painter Kano Eitoku, creator of the Kano style, whose aesthetic was a mixture of weirdness and refinement, of the grotesque and the delicate. Murakami also founded KaiKai and Kiki Co. in 2001, which took over the work of the Hiropon factory, which was founded in 1996. Its objectives as a company are based on support for the production and promotion of works of art, the management and support of young artists and the dissemination of their work.
The use of "heroes" or characters from comics or urban culture as the protagonists of his art are heirs of pop-art. However, Murakami offers a new perspective on what is known as pop. He brings a radically new vision by playing with elements of Eastern culture. He has managed to introduce his own idiosyncrasies into the Western market by incorporating small, dynamic and recognizable elements that can be assimilated by both cultures that are apparently so different.
Murakami is one of the most influential artists of the Japanese post-war generation, Takashi Murakami was trained at the National University of Fine Arts and Music in Tokyo, where he obtained a degree in Nihonga (traditional Japanese painting). In 1990 he was introduced to contemporary art by his partner and friend Masato Nakamura, and in 1993 he created his alter ego Mr. DOB. He then began to be recognized inside and outside Japan for his particular synthesis between traditional Japanese art, the contemporary currents of his country (anime, manga...) and American culture, mainly the pop current. In his work, Murakami conveys a critical vision of current Japanese society, the legacy of the country's cultural tradition, its evolution after World War II and its relationship with the Western world, especially with the United States. In his writings he coined the term "Superflat" to define his personal artistic style, a term that fits a work characterized by two-dimensionality and that also criticizes the very structure of art, blurring the boundaries between high and low culture. In fact, his output spans multiple art forms, from painting and sculpture to industrial design, anime, fashion and other popular culture media and merchandising objects. His trilogy of exhibitions "Superflat" (2000, 2002 and 2005) has been shown in important art centers around the world, such as the Parco Gallery in Tokyo, the MOCA in Los Angeles, the Fondation Cartier in Paris or the Serpentine Gallery in London. Also, between 2008 and 2009, retrospective exhibitions were held at MOCA, the Brooklyn Museum in New York, the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt.