artist Takashi Murakami</a>. <br><br>Having recently concluded a controversial exhibition at <i>Chגteau de Versailles</i> in France, as well as awing onlookers with 10 meter balloon renditions of his studio mascots Kaikai and Kiki at the Macy’s Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Takashi-Murakami/"/Artist/Takashi-Murakami/0438F5DC4119C33D">Murakami’s presence on the international stage is mounting. <br><br>In his latest exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery, his first solo exhibition in Rome, two epic paintings from his <i>Dragon in Clouds</i> series - <i>Red Mutation</i> and <i>Indigo Blue</i> - each comprising nine panels and measuring eighteen meters long, are on view. Cloud and dragon paintings were also key references for eighteenth century Japanese artist Soga Shohaku, whose eccentric and daring visual inventiveness has been a great inspiration for Murakami. While these monochromatic acrylic paintings depart from his usual technicolour palette, Murakami continues to draw on a wide range of influences, from Japanese religious symbols to the popular Japanese video game <i>Blue Dragon</i>. Trained in the classical Japanese style of Nihonga - a 19th century mixture of eastern and western styles of painting - it is not uncommon for him to tap into this rich history of painting, iconography, myths and legends. <br><br>His series of tondo flower works that will be exhibited at 34FineArt was started in 2008 and the original paintings were shown for the first time in September/October 2009 at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris. This body of work also includes the latest Chrysanthemum works. The magnificence of the prints lies not only in the printing techniques used but also in the rich combination of materials. The content of the works is informed by the motifs of seventeenth-century Japanese painter and lacquerer Ogata Kץrin who belonged to the Rinpa school. Kץrin was known for his elaborate decorative screen paintings with rich gold foil and for his textile designs. Flowers and close studies of nature formed an integral part of his flat decorative design. In this series of tondos (circular-format prints), Murakami has refashioned the classic designs by Kץrin whose white chrysanthemum motifs left a profound impression on him. The flowers stand out on gold or platinum-leaf backgrounds in the purest Japanese tradition. The precious materials and format create a delicate contrast with the fragility of the ethereal plants, much like in Kץrin’s work <i>Red Prunus</i> (on two screens). It incorporates his smiley candy-coloured flowers with the traditional Kץrin landscape. Murakami also pays tribute to another influential artist, Andy Warhol, with the work entitled <i>Warhol/silver</i> 2009.<br><br>Takashi Murakami was born in 1962 in Tokyo, and received his B.F.A., M.F.A. and PhD from the Tokyo University of the Arts. He founded the Hiropon Factory in Tokyo in 1996 which later evolved into Kaikai Kiki, an art production and art management corporation. In addition to the production and marketing of Murakami's art and related work, Kaikai Kiki provides a supportive environment for the development of emerging artists. Murakami is also a curator, cultural entrepreneur, and critical observer of contemporary Japanese society. He also started the Geisai art festival. In 2000, he organized a paradigmatic exhibition of Japanese art entitled <i>"Superflat"</i> which traced the origins of contemporary Japanese visual pop culture in historical Japanese art. He has continued this work in subsequent exhibitions such as <i>"Coloriage"</i> (Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 2002) and <i>"Little Boy: The Art of Japan's Exploding Subcultures"</i> (Japan Society, New York, 2005). Murakami's major solo exhibitions include Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2001); "Kaikai Kiki," Fondation Cartier pour l'art Contemporain, Paris and the Serpentine Gallery, London (2002). A comprehensive survey exhibition opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles in 2007 and traveled to the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum for Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt and the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao in 2008-2009. <br>" />
Takashi Murakami
Feb 01, 2011 - Mar 12, 2011
34FineArt is privileged to announce the latest exhibition of editions from the Gallery collection by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.
Having recently concluded a controversial exhibition at Chגteau de Versailles in France, as well as awing onlookers with 10 meter balloon renditions of his studio mascots Kaikai and Kiki at the Macy’s Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, Murakami’s presence on the international stage is mounting.
In his latest exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery, his first solo exhibition in Rome, two epic paintings from his Dragon in Clouds series - Red Mutation and Indigo Blue - each comprising nine panels and measuring eighteen meters long, are on view. Cloud and dragon paintings were also key references for eighteenth century Japanese artist Soga Shohaku, whose eccentric and daring visual inventiveness has been a great inspiration for Murakami. While these monochromatic acrylic paintings depart from his usual technicolour palette, Murakami continues to draw on a wide range of influences, from Japanese religious symbols to the popular Japanese video game Blue Dragon. Trained in the classical Japanese style of Nihonga - a 19th century mixture of eastern and western styles of painting - it is not uncommon for him to tap into this rich history of painting, iconography, myths and legends.
His series of tondo flower works that will be exhibited at 34FineArt was started in 2008 and the original paintings were shown for the first time in September/October 2009 at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris. This body of work also includes the latest Chrysanthemum works. The magnificence of the prints lies not only in the printing techniques used but also in the rich combination of materials. The content of the works is informed by the motifs of seventeenth-century Japanese painter and lacquerer Ogata Kץrin who belonged to the Rinpa school. Kץrin was known for his elaborate decorative screen paintings with rich gold foil and for his textile designs. Flowers and close studies of nature formed an integral part of his flat decorative design. In this series of tondos (circular-format prints), Murakami has refashioned the classic designs by Kץrin whose white chrysanthemum motifs left a profound impression on him. The flowers stand out on gold or platinum-leaf backgrounds in the purest Japanese tradition. The precious materials and format create a delicate contrast with the fragility of the ethereal plants, much like in Kץrin’s work Red Prunus (on two screens). It incorporates his smiley candy-coloured flowers with the traditional Kץrin landscape. Murakami also pays tribute to another influential artist, Andy Warhol, with the work entitled Warhol/silver 2009.
Takashi Murakami was born in 1962 in Tokyo, and received his B.F.A., M.F.A. and PhD from the Tokyo University of the Arts. He founded the Hiropon Factory in Tokyo in 1996 which later evolved into Kaikai Kiki, an art production and art management corporation. In addition to the production and marketing of Murakami's art and related work, Kaikai Kiki provides a supportive environment for the development of emerging artists. Murakami is also a curator, cultural entrepreneur, and critical observer of contemporary Japanese society. He also started the Geisai art festival. In 2000, he organized a paradigmatic exhibition of Japanese art entitled "Superflat" which traced the origins of contemporary Japanese visual pop culture in historical Japanese art. He has continued this work in subsequent exhibitions such as "Coloriage" (Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 2002) and "Little Boy: The Art of Japan's Exploding Subcultures" (Japan Society, New York, 2005). Murakami's major solo exhibitions include Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2001); "Kaikai Kiki," Fondation Cartier pour l'art Contemporain, Paris and the Serpentine Gallery, London (2002). A comprehensive survey exhibition opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles in 2007 and traveled to the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum for Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt and the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao in 2008-2009.
Having recently concluded a controversial exhibition at Chגteau de Versailles in France, as well as awing onlookers with 10 meter balloon renditions of his studio mascots Kaikai and Kiki at the Macy’s Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, Murakami’s presence on the international stage is mounting.
In his latest exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery, his first solo exhibition in Rome, two epic paintings from his Dragon in Clouds series - Red Mutation and Indigo Blue - each comprising nine panels and measuring eighteen meters long, are on view. Cloud and dragon paintings were also key references for eighteenth century Japanese artist Soga Shohaku, whose eccentric and daring visual inventiveness has been a great inspiration for Murakami. While these monochromatic acrylic paintings depart from his usual technicolour palette, Murakami continues to draw on a wide range of influences, from Japanese religious symbols to the popular Japanese video game Blue Dragon. Trained in the classical Japanese style of Nihonga - a 19th century mixture of eastern and western styles of painting - it is not uncommon for him to tap into this rich history of painting, iconography, myths and legends.
His series of tondo flower works that will be exhibited at 34FineArt was started in 2008 and the original paintings were shown for the first time in September/October 2009 at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris. This body of work also includes the latest Chrysanthemum works. The magnificence of the prints lies not only in the printing techniques used but also in the rich combination of materials. The content of the works is informed by the motifs of seventeenth-century Japanese painter and lacquerer Ogata Kץrin who belonged to the Rinpa school. Kץrin was known for his elaborate decorative screen paintings with rich gold foil and for his textile designs. Flowers and close studies of nature formed an integral part of his flat decorative design. In this series of tondos (circular-format prints), Murakami has refashioned the classic designs by Kץrin whose white chrysanthemum motifs left a profound impression on him. The flowers stand out on gold or platinum-leaf backgrounds in the purest Japanese tradition. The precious materials and format create a delicate contrast with the fragility of the ethereal plants, much like in Kץrin’s work Red Prunus (on two screens). It incorporates his smiley candy-coloured flowers with the traditional Kץrin landscape. Murakami also pays tribute to another influential artist, Andy Warhol, with the work entitled Warhol/silver 2009.
Takashi Murakami was born in 1962 in Tokyo, and received his B.F.A., M.F.A. and PhD from the Tokyo University of the Arts. He founded the Hiropon Factory in Tokyo in 1996 which later evolved into Kaikai Kiki, an art production and art management corporation. In addition to the production and marketing of Murakami's art and related work, Kaikai Kiki provides a supportive environment for the development of emerging artists. Murakami is also a curator, cultural entrepreneur, and critical observer of contemporary Japanese society. He also started the Geisai art festival. In 2000, he organized a paradigmatic exhibition of Japanese art entitled "Superflat" which traced the origins of contemporary Japanese visual pop culture in historical Japanese art. He has continued this work in subsequent exhibitions such as "Coloriage" (Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 2002) and "Little Boy: The Art of Japan's Exploding Subcultures" (Japan Society, New York, 2005). Murakami's major solo exhibitions include Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2001); "Kaikai Kiki," Fondation Cartier pour l'art Contemporain, Paris and the Serpentine Gallery, London (2002). A comprehensive survey exhibition opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles in 2007 and traveled to the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum for Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt and the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao in 2008-2009.
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34FineArt is privileged to announce the latest exhibition of editions from the Gallery collection by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.
Having recently concluded a controversial exhibition at Chגteau de Versailles in France, as well as awing onlookers with 10 meter balloon renditions of his studio mascots Kaikai and Kiki at the Macy’s Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, Murakami’s presence on the international stage is mounting.
In his latest exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery, his first solo exhibition in Rome, two epic paintings from his Dragon in Clouds series - Red Mutation and Indigo Blue - each comprising nine panels and measuring eighteen meters long, are on view. Cloud and dragon paintings were also key references for eighteenth century Japanese artist Soga Shohaku, whose eccentric and daring visual inventiveness has been a great inspiration for Murakami. While these monochromatic acrylic paintings depart from his usual technicolour palette, Murakami continues to draw on a wide range of influences, from Japanese religious symbols to the popular Japanese video game Blue Dragon. Trained in the classical Japanese style of Nihonga - a 19th century mixture of eastern and western styles of painting - it is not uncommon for him to tap into this rich history of painting, iconography, myths and legends.
His series of tondo flower works that will be exhibited at 34FineArt was started in 2008 and the original paintings were shown for the first time in September/October 2009 at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris. This body of work also includes the latest Chrysanthemum works. The magnificence of the prints lies not only in the printing techniques used but also in the rich combination of materials. The content of the works is informed by the motifs of seventeenth-century Japanese painter and lacquerer Ogata Kץrin who belonged to the Rinpa school. Kץrin was known for his elaborate decorative screen paintings with rich gold foil and for his textile designs. Flowers and close studies of nature formed an integral part of his flat decorative design. In this series of tondos (circular-format prints), Murakami has refashioned the classic designs by Kץrin whose white chrysanthemum motifs left a profound impression on him. The flowers stand out on gold or platinum-leaf backgrounds in the purest Japanese tradition. The precious materials and format create a delicate contrast with the fragility of the ethereal plants, much like in Kץrin’s work Red Prunus (on two screens). It incorporates his smiley candy-coloured flowers with the traditional Kץrin landscape. Murakami also pays tribute to another influential artist, Andy Warhol, with the work entitled Warhol/silver 2009.
Takashi Murakami was born in 1962 in Tokyo, and received his B.F.A., M.F.A. and PhD from the Tokyo University of the Arts. He founded the Hiropon Factory in Tokyo in 1996 which later evolved into Kaikai Kiki, an art production and art management corporation. In addition to the production and marketing of Murakami's art and related work, Kaikai Kiki provides a supportive environment for the development of emerging artists. Murakami is also a curator, cultural entrepreneur, and critical observer of contemporary Japanese society. He also started the Geisai art festival. In 2000, he organized a paradigmatic exhibition of Japanese art entitled "Superflat" which traced the origins of contemporary Japanese visual pop culture in historical Japanese art. He has continued this work in subsequent exhibitions such as "Coloriage" (Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 2002) and "Little Boy: The Art of Japan's Exploding Subcultures" (Japan Society, New York, 2005). Murakami's major solo exhibitions include Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2001); "Kaikai Kiki," Fondation Cartier pour l'art Contemporain, Paris and the Serpentine Gallery, London (2002). A comprehensive survey exhibition opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles in 2007 and traveled to the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum for Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt and the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao in 2008-2009.
Having recently concluded a controversial exhibition at Chגteau de Versailles in France, as well as awing onlookers with 10 meter balloon renditions of his studio mascots Kaikai and Kiki at the Macy’s Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, Murakami’s presence on the international stage is mounting.
In his latest exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery, his first solo exhibition in Rome, two epic paintings from his Dragon in Clouds series - Red Mutation and Indigo Blue - each comprising nine panels and measuring eighteen meters long, are on view. Cloud and dragon paintings were also key references for eighteenth century Japanese artist Soga Shohaku, whose eccentric and daring visual inventiveness has been a great inspiration for Murakami. While these monochromatic acrylic paintings depart from his usual technicolour palette, Murakami continues to draw on a wide range of influences, from Japanese religious symbols to the popular Japanese video game Blue Dragon. Trained in the classical Japanese style of Nihonga - a 19th century mixture of eastern and western styles of painting - it is not uncommon for him to tap into this rich history of painting, iconography, myths and legends.
His series of tondo flower works that will be exhibited at 34FineArt was started in 2008 and the original paintings were shown for the first time in September/October 2009 at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris. This body of work also includes the latest Chrysanthemum works. The magnificence of the prints lies not only in the printing techniques used but also in the rich combination of materials. The content of the works is informed by the motifs of seventeenth-century Japanese painter and lacquerer Ogata Kץrin who belonged to the Rinpa school. Kץrin was known for his elaborate decorative screen paintings with rich gold foil and for his textile designs. Flowers and close studies of nature formed an integral part of his flat decorative design. In this series of tondos (circular-format prints), Murakami has refashioned the classic designs by Kץrin whose white chrysanthemum motifs left a profound impression on him. The flowers stand out on gold or platinum-leaf backgrounds in the purest Japanese tradition. The precious materials and format create a delicate contrast with the fragility of the ethereal plants, much like in Kץrin’s work Red Prunus (on two screens). It incorporates his smiley candy-coloured flowers with the traditional Kץrin landscape. Murakami also pays tribute to another influential artist, Andy Warhol, with the work entitled Warhol/silver 2009.
Takashi Murakami was born in 1962 in Tokyo, and received his B.F.A., M.F.A. and PhD from the Tokyo University of the Arts. He founded the Hiropon Factory in Tokyo in 1996 which later evolved into Kaikai Kiki, an art production and art management corporation. In addition to the production and marketing of Murakami's art and related work, Kaikai Kiki provides a supportive environment for the development of emerging artists. Murakami is also a curator, cultural entrepreneur, and critical observer of contemporary Japanese society. He also started the Geisai art festival. In 2000, he organized a paradigmatic exhibition of Japanese art entitled "Superflat" which traced the origins of contemporary Japanese visual pop culture in historical Japanese art. He has continued this work in subsequent exhibitions such as "Coloriage" (Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 2002) and "Little Boy: The Art of Japan's Exploding Subcultures" (Japan Society, New York, 2005). Murakami's major solo exhibitions include Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2001); "Kaikai Kiki," Fondation Cartier pour l'art Contemporain, Paris and the Serpentine Gallery, London (2002). A comprehensive survey exhibition opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles in 2007 and traveled to the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum for Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt and the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao in 2008-2009.
Artists on show
Contact details
Second Floor Hills Building, Buchanan Square, 160 Sir Lowry Road Cape Town, South Africa 7925
What's on nearby
Ayotunde Ojo, opening at its Cape Town gallery on 7 November, 2024 (until 27 February, 2025).</p><p>In this new series of mixed-media figurative paintings, the Lagos-based artist moves between the idea of consciousness and unconsciousness, exploring the liminal qualities of memory and space, dreaming and waking. Rooted in the familiar context of domestic life, the paintings expand into emotional and imaginative realms, exploring how these transient moments shape perceptions. The artist’s debut solo exhibition, These Four Walls has its roots in a series of works Ojo completed at Southern Guild’s GUILD Residency in Cape Town earlier this year.</p><p>Ojo’s paintings exude a quiet and restrained elegance. Figures – still and solitary – lie recumbent over furniture or occupy themselves in the rituals of daily life: reading a book, washing the dishes, ironing clothes or scrolling on their phones. The colours are muted, as if viewing the scenes through a hazy veil. These works, like a deep exhale, convey a sense of calm and contemplation.</p><p>Methodically constructed, the paintings accrue their depth from the artist’s sensitive approach to his materials: thin films of paint hover over areas, the fine graphite linework just visible beneath. In some places the form dissolves completely to reveal the raw canvas; elsewhere the paint runs with abandon.</p><p>Doorways, window frames and tiled floors provide the coordinates for these intimate tableaux, governed by an internal framework of methodically drawn volumes. Point, line and plane extrude into forms whose structure holds firm even as their edges disintegrate, seep and drip. Embracing a more delicate and varied approach, Ojo pushes beyond the border of spatial logic, making paintings that negotiate realities both concrete and dreamlike. Figures emerge and dissolve with fluidity, reflecting a dynamic interplay within the compositions.</p><p><br></p>" />
Nov 14,2024
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Sincuba grappled with the desire to leave and return to the comforts of modern life, recording numerous such resolutions in these entries. Yet, it was the enduring promise of umngqwambo that anchored them, offering a beacon of hope amidst the trials. Having now undergone the ritual—equally notorious and shrouded in secrecy—the artist no longer regards it as a culmination, but rather as a threshold: a deliberate relinquishment of the familiar for the boundless possibilities of the unknown.</p><p>At the forefront of the exhibition are two large-scale oil paintings, The Dance of Death and Bahlekisa Ngami, painted from vivid memories, visions, dreams and nightmares, resulting from the equally traumatic and orgasmic rituals. These paintings engage the fluidity and volatility of time as a force both rhythmic and ruptured. They evoke a somatic response to the ceaseless motion of history—its spirals, disruptions, and returns—while gesturing toward the transitory nature of existence and collective identity. Their hectic surfaces and dynamic composition capture the corporeal struggle of navigating a world defined by flux, loss, and renewal.</p><p>The Amanzi Angcwele installation occupies a central position within the exhibition, infusing the intimate space with an aura of reverence. Water, with its profound simplicity and universality, holds a pivotal place in African indigenous cultures, embodying the duality of cleansing the old self while serving as a conduit to embrace transformation and renewal. On the other hand, plastic connects itself to the generative and the destructive—tethered to learned vernacular traditions of displaced meaning-making. The video work, Procession, constructed from a blend of archival footage and recordings captured during the initiation process, seeks to materialise the elusive and almost otherworldly nature of the experience—an ephemeral odyssey that seems to both linger and recede further into abstraction with the passage of time. </p><p><br></p>" />
Jan 16,2025
- Feb 27,2025
