村上隆

Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris

Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 2005

Exhibition Catalogue, Los Angeles, The Museum of Contemporary Art; New York, Brooklyn Museum of Art; Frankfurt, Museum für Moderne Kunst; Bilbao, Guggenheim Museum, © Murakami, 2007-09, n.p., illustration of another example in colour

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is brighter and more vibrant in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Very close inspection reveals a few minute and unobtrusive rub marks with very minor associated paint loss to the lower part of the pole, which is in keeping with the fact that it can be removed from the figure’s hand. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals a few very small spots of retouching towards the lower part of the pole.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A wonderful example of Takashi Murakami’s unique creative universe, Kaikai is one of the artists most well-known and beloved personages. Together with its ‘sister’ character Kiki, Kaikai embodies ‘kawaii’, the Japanese term for ‘cute’ or ‘adorable’ that is paramount in Japanese popular culture and central to the artist’s practice. Created in 2001, Kaikai illustrates Murakami’s own ideas, which defend the elevation of popular anime and manga imagery to the category of high art, as summarised in his theories of the year 2000 on the “Superflat”. In line with other products of his unparalleled imagination, Kaikai’s character has evolved since its inception, from the early two-dimensional representations both alone or with Kiki, to the present lot’s impressive, life-size sculptural form and, more recently, as a video for the 2012 exhibition EGO at the Qatar Museums Authority in Doha. Furthermore, “Kaikai Kiki Corporation” is the name Murakami decided to give his studio. An enterprise he founded in 2001, it has locations in Tokyo and New York that incorporate his studio practice among other activities such as the management and support of young Japanese artists’ careers.

At the beginning of his artistic career in the early 1990s, Murakami created Mr DOB, a Mickey Mouse-like character that he doubles as his artistic alter ego. His profound interest in wordplay and humour triggered its birth – the letters that form his name are an acronym for 'dobojite, dobojite, oshamanbe’, a pun that mixes references from the manga series Inakappe Taisho and gags by the Japanese comedian Toru Yuri. In a similar way, Kaikai also owes its name to Murakami’s witty appropriation of language. Having been asked by the Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake to create a character inspired by Alice in Wonderland’s ‘Humpty Dumpty’, Murakami created Oval, who he saw as “a representation of Buddha” (the artist cited in: Exhibition Catalogue, Paris, Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain; London, Serpentine Gallery, Takashi Murakami: Kaikai Kiki, 2001, p. 87). He then created two additional characters: Kaikai and Kiki, whose names he took from the expression ‘kaikaikiki’, meaning bravery, power and sensibility. The origin of this expression dates from Sixteenth Century Japan, when an art critic used it to describe the paintings of the artist Eitoku Kanô. Centuries later, Murakami felt inspired to create something that would also merit the words. As he later explained: “This appreciation made a very favourable impression on me, and I thought that I too would like to create a form of art that was at once vigorous, sensitive and intelligent… With these three characters – Oval, Kaikai and Kiki – I wanted, I think, to create my own ‘gods of art’” (the artist cited in: Ibid., p. 87).

Standing on a spherical plinth covered in Murakami’s signature multi-coloured smiling flowers, Kaikai’s friendly poise contrasts abruptly with the menacing skull-topped pole in its hand. Typical of the artist’s practice, the combination of infantilised characters with phantasmagorical elements stands as a subtle reference to Japan’s complex and troubled relationship with its own cultural and political identities after the Second World War as a result of years of political custody under the United States. Furthermore, through his use of flowers, Murakami references the century-old tradition of Japanese flower painting, which he had to study and perfect whilst a student of ‘nihon-ga’ at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Also rooted in this traditional Japanese style of painting, was the creation of monster-like personages such as Towaraya Sotatsu’s elaborate depictions of mythological characters during the Edo period. This tradition continues to infiltrate Japanese visual culture and is present in contemporary cartoon creations such as Doraemon or the Pokemon saga. It is precisely the combination of modern day influences with Japan’s artistic heritage that stands as one the central premises of Murakami’s theories of the “Superflat”. Indeed, Kaikai stands as a brilliant example of these theories, an impressive demonstration of Murakami’s adeptness at combining references from radically different sources to create his very own artistic language.