Background

Takashi Murakami was born in Tokyo, 1962 (Gagosian.com). Takashi Murakami studied traditional Japanese painting known as Nihonga (as opposed to Yōga, which refers to a western style art), a nineteenth century mixture of Japanese and Western Styles following Japanese conventions. This study was completed at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music where Takashi Murakami received his BFA, MFA and PhD (Artificialgallery.co.uk, 2006-2010).

Takashi Murakami’s artistic direction moved to focus towards Japans modern culture, particularly the Otaku culture of Anime and Manga; this interest was because as Takashi Murakami stated “it was more representative of modern day Japanese life” (Artificialgallery.co.uk, 2006-2010).


Founding the Hiropan Factory in 1996 (Tokyo), which would eventually become Kaikai Kiki Co, Takashi Murakami produced and marketed his own style of artwork along with other artists following the same style. Kaikai Kiki Co now functions as a large scale production company and a supportive environment for fostering young Japanese artists. (Artificialgallery.co.uk, 2006-2010).

Personally, and through Kaikai Kiki Takashi Murakami, strongly supports the promotion of Japanese Art to the rest of the world. Two major examples of this is the GEISAI festival in Japan to promote young emerging talent and the supporting and management of young artists working alongside Takashi Murakami as a part of Kaikai Kiki Co (Kaikaikiki.co.jp, 2005)


Not only does Kaikai Kiki Co produce artworks for exhibition around the world but also a large line of collectable items (selling at much lower prices) featuring Takashi Murakami’s signature images (Artificialgallery.co.uk, 2006-2010). Often Compared to Pop arts Andy Warhol, Takashi Murakami blurs the line between consumer culture and art; although unlike Andy Warhol the process is in reverse as Takashi most often makes his art a consumer product (Jonathan Ross, Japanorama, 2007)

Andy Warhol, Consumer Products into art. Takashi Murakami, Art into Consumer Products.

An example of this is Takashi Murakami’s collaboration with Lois Vuitton producing a bag which sold for $5000 and became one of the most copied handbags world wide, even producing a short anime (Superflat Monogram, 2003) which blended the Takashi Murakami’s work and the product together(Jonathan Ross, Japanorama, 2007).


More recently, in 2008 Takashi Murakami was the only visual artist to make The NY Times mist influential people list (artinfo, 2008).

Takashi Murakami continues to work with Kaikai Kiki Co today producing his own Pop art work and working alongside other established and emerging Japanese artists for exhibitions around the world to this day.