Takashi Murakami: The 500 Arhats

Running until March 6th, 2016, the exhibition is notable for being Murakami’s first solo show in Japan for 14 years, as well as marking the debut in his native country of what many have touted as his magnum opus, The 500 Arhats.

Photo: Okazumi Chika

Following recent large-scale exhibitions overseas, such as at the Palace of Versailles, Murakami here makes something of a homecoming and comeback, after his first foray as a film director, Jellyfish Eyes, flopped badly at the domestic box office in 2013.

While the exhibition is large and includes 30 new works, the big draw is undoubtedly The 500 Arhats. Murakami’s mammoth work involved over 200 art college students to complete and measures 100 meters. It was originally exhibited in Doha, Qatar, as a token of gratitude for the money the Middle East nation donated for disaster relief after the 2011 northeast Japan earthquake and tsunami.

Divided into four sections, it is the culmination of Murakami’s long interest in the history of Japanese art. The eponymous arhats are the enlightened disciples of Buddha, somewhat similar to saints in Christianity. Traditional motifs in Asian religious painting, arhats spread the Buddha’s teachings and help ordinary people reach salvation from worldly desires.

To put Murakami’s postmodern treatment of the arhats in context, the exhibition also includes another 500 Arhats series by Kazunobu Kano, borrowed from Zojoji Temple, and other historical items.

Murakami calls the concept behind his vibrant art “Superflat,” which he says is representative of the “flattened” and “empty” character of postwar Japan. The artist’s ambitious paintings and sculptures are made by teams of assistants (Murakami’s role in production often approaches more like that of an art director).

Production view, The 500 Arhats, Photo: Aminaka Kenta

His output boldly sets out to downscale Japanese art by mixing traditional iconography with imagery from pop culture and subculture, especially the otaku “geek” world. As such, figures from Buddhist painting like Daruma are exhibited beside versions of Murakami’s signature Mr. DOB character. Supposed “high art” and the religious are placed on the same level as the kawaii (cute) and commercial.

Mori Tower, Superflat, Takashi Murakami, The 500 Arhats, mori art museum, roppongi hills Takashi Murakami Hands Clapsed 2015 Acrylic and platinum leaf on canvas mounted on aluminum frame 180 x 240 cm (c) 2015 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

But far from being criticized as sacrilegious as an equivalent western painter might if they used Christian motifs in this way, Murakami is lauded. Today he is probably the most famous Japanese artist on the planet, and certainly among the richest and most enterprising. He counts among his collaborators Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and Louis Vuitton. His next challenge is 6HP (Six Hearts Princess), an anime TV series set to broadcast in 2016.

Takashi Murakami, The 500 Arhats (detail), 2012, Acrylic on canvas, mounted on board, 302 x 10,000 cm, Private collection © 2012 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Murakami actually has a long association with Roppongi Hills. He designed the development’s mascot The Creatures from Planet 66 and his “Mr. Pointy & the Four Guards” is also installed in Mohri Garden, located behind the Mori Tower.

The exhibition opening was already being discussed by art world people as the “event of the year” long before it happened. Needless to say, it didn’t disappoint the invitees. Visitors to the preview were greeted by a gaggle of cosplayers at the entrance and then galleries filled with clowns and other performers in various degrees of colorful costumes. Celebrities and film crews mingled and milled around, waiting for the next happening. Min Tanaka, one of the best-known dancers in Japan, performed a silent, mostly ignored piece in a corner.

Takashi Murakami, The 500 Arhats (detail), 2012, Acrylic on canvas, mounted on board, 302 x 10,000 cm, Private collection © 2012 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

The after-party was held in Ebisu Yokocho, a covered market full of retro food stalls and micro restaurants. Murakami’s company Kaikai Kiki hired the entire arcade for the night, where curators, gallery staff, collectors, and VIPs gathered to feast and enjoy more antics, including Murakami himself dressed up as a flower.

Regular visitors to the exhibition won’t be so lucky, but the next best thing to seeing the artist himself in a costume is surely viewing his latest work in the surroundings of Tokyo’s leading commercial art museum.

Takashi Murakami, Lion Peering into Death’s Abyss, 2015, Acrylic and gold and platinum leaf on canvas mounted on aluminum frame, 150 x 300 cm © 2015 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

“Takashi Murakami: The 500 Arhats”
Mori Art Museum
Until March 6th, 2016
Admission: ¥1,600

TAKASHI MURAKAMI THE 500 ARHATS 2012 ACRYLIC ON CANVAS MOUNTED ON BOARD 302 X 10,000 CM PRIVATE COLLECTION INSTALLATION VIEW: “MURAKAMI - EGO,” AL RIWAQ EXHIBITION HALL, DOHA, 2012 PHOTO: GION (C)2012 TAKASHI MURAKAMI/KAIKAI KIKI CO., LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Posts by William Andrews

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