“At the beginning, to be frank, I didn’t like flowers, but as I continued teaching in the school, my feelings changed: their smell, their shape—it all made me feel almost physically sick, and at the same time I found them very “cute”. Each one seemed to have its own feelings, its own personality. My dominant feeling was one of unease, but I liked that sensation.”
T akashi Murakami is an art world juggernaut who is known for his work across a diverse range of mediums, including painting, sculpture and silkscreen prints, all defined by his distinctive “Superflat” aesthetic. Murakami introduced his influential theory of “Superflat” in 2000 with his exhibition SUPERFLAT in Tokyo, emphasising the flatness of Japanese visual culture. In particular, the artist explores the influence of manga, anime, ukiyo-e woodblock prints, and the notion of kawaii on Japanese art in the post-World War II context. His work brilliantly reflects the multilayered nature of contemporary culture, engaging with society’s hyper-consumerism and blurring traditional distinctions between fine art and merchandise. The artist has collaborated with major fashion houses and pop culture icons from Louis Vuitton to Pharrell Williams, creating works that are accessible and understandable to a wide international audience.
Murakami’s ebullient cast of characters are universally recognisable and have attracted admirers from around the world. These signature forms include his iconic Mr. DOB figure, and radiant, smiling chromatic flowers, as seen in the present work Flower (2006). Further, the artist has been honoured with international solo and group exhibitions, such as the hugely popular Murakami vs. Murakami at Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong in 2019, and his work can be found in prominent public collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Queensland Museum, Brisbane; and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan.
「實不相瞞，我最初並不喜歡花朵，但是隨著在學校教書的時日漸長，我的感受開始出現轉變：我幾乎對花朵的氣味和形狀感到噁心，卻又同時覺得它們十分『可愛』。每朵花似乎都有自己的情緒和個性。焦慮不安蓋過我心中的其他感受，不過我對此自得其樂。」
村上隆被公認為當今世上其中一位最具影響力的藝術家，對當代藝術潮流影響不淺，由他獨一無二的「超扁平」美學所延伸出來的畫作、雕塑及絲網印刷等橫跨多種媒介的作品亦舉世知名。2000年，村上隆的「超扁平」理論在東京一場同名的展覽上誕生，當中強調日本視覺文化中扁平的視角，並特別專注探討漫畫、動畫、浮世繪版畫與「可愛」（kawaii）的概念，如何影響著二戰後的日本藝術界。他的作品遊走在藝術與商品之間的傳統界線之間，精妙地反映出當代文化層次眾多的本質，並探討過度的消費主義。村上曾與多個大型時裝品牌及流行文化名人合作，當中包括路易威登及菲瑞・威廉斯（Pharrell Williams）等，創作出貼近世界各地大眾的作品。
村上創作的角色通常開朗熱情，形象深入民心，在全球各地都有支持者，經典角色包括DOB君，以及在本作《Flower》（2006）中容光煥發而精緻繽紛的微笑小花。除此之外，村上亦曾舉辦多個國際個展及群展，包括2019年於香港大館舉辦、極受公眾歡迎的「村上隆對戰村上隆」展覽，而他的作品更獲多個藝術機構收藏，包括洛杉磯當代藝術館、加州三藩市現代藝術博物館、紐約現代藝術博物館、布里斯本昆士蘭博物館及日本的金澤二十一世紀美術館。