'Superflat' the New Art Movement

How often do you hear an artist founding an art movement today? Hardly. Artists, today more often than not ground themselves on existing art movements such as Surrealism, Dadaism and Pop Art, just to name a few. I am definitely not saying that this is a negative issue, but it certainly is refreshing to discover a new art movement founded by an individual of the modern world. Japanese contemporary artist, Takashi Murakami is one such visionary. Murakami founded the Superflat art movement in 2000 after being exposed to Japanese anime and comic graphic stories, as well as his passion for otaku culture.

Developed from Poku (pop and otaku), Superflat is an artistic style represented by flat planes of color and graphics with a character from anime and manga reflecting otaku lifestyle and subculture, consumerism and sexual fetishism. Renowned for following Andy Warhol’s footsteps, Murakami repackages low art into paintings, sculptures, cell phones and $5,000 limited edition Louis Vuitton handbags for sale in the ‘high-art’ market. With this, he remarkably broke into Western markets and Japan with his own art company, Kaikai Kiki and art GEISAI, an art exhibition held twice a year since 2002. Named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People”, Murakami is iconic for erotic sculptures and his motifs of mushrooms, a representation of underground and alternative culture.

This September, Murakami raised controversy with his first exhibition in France of 22 sculptures that adorn 15 rooms at France’s royal palace, Place of Versailles. The sculptures included Oval Buddha Gold, Miss Ko and Kawai-Vacances Summer Vacation. In the absence of Murakami’s most erotic pieces, The Lonesome Cowboy and Hiropon, visitors did not cut him any slack. 11,000 people petitioned that the works were mortifying and disrespectful of the royal chambers. Despite this, Murakami stands firm that his retrospective aims to arouse the aesthetic feelings of audience and introducing “artistic creation of our times” to the palace.

As such, art is certainly a form of expression that is open for interpretation by every individual. While one may love the form, the other may detest against it for its offensiveness and disrespect. Indefinitely, artists, like Takashi Murakami do not waiver at criticisms since they believe strongly in their creations. For this, we as art enthusiasts and audience should keep an open mind when visiting an artist’s showcase.