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The world-renown contemporary artist Takashi Murakami’s latest art was recently displayed in Los Angeles, U.S. “Arhat,” the exhibition introducing Takashi Murakami’s latest works, has opened at Blum & Poe, the leading art gallery of the Los Angeles art scene.
Blum & Poe is known for its wide interior. Unlike the image of Japanese art galleries, this exhibition is also an art museum class project. The theme is centered around arhat, a Buddhist word that refers to someone who has reached Nirvana. The exhibition hall is filled with enormous arhat paintings and an artwork called “Flame of Desire” that has a diameter of around 5 meters.
Because of his work containing expressions cited from Japanese pop culture and being sold for large sums of money at auctions, Murakami’s work is famous in America as well. “Arhat” is an exhibition focused only on Murakami himself, following in the steps of his former representative exhibition “cMurakami,” which was held from 2007 to 2009. He is very popular among American art fans.
In the exhibition hall, many of the staff were talking about the LA premiere of Murakami’s first work as a director, Mememe no Kurage (English title: Jellyfish Eyes). It was a spectacular premiere with big names such as movie director Spike Jonze and Jack Black attending.
Besides art curators, photographers, and art producers, the gallery was crowded with prominent figures of various circles such as Neal H. Moritz, the producer of The Fast and the Furious and Total Recall, and Flea, the bassist for the rock band Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
Flea, who was present at the pre-opening of the exhibition, raised questions about the exhibition and Mememe no Kurage as well. He was very curious, saying, “I get excited no matter which Murakami work I look at! When I heard he had made a movie, I got even more interested in him. I’ll watch the movie for sure.”
Mememe no Kurage is Murakami’s first work as a director and a movie he wanted to make. It is a live-action CG fantasy that depicts the bonds of friendship between a boy and a mysterious creature called a “friend.” The world is anticipating this much talked about work.
Mememe no Kurage Official Site:
http://mememe.gaga.ne.jp/ (Japanese)
Source:
http://animeanime.jp/article/2013/04/13/13673.html (Japanese)
