Murakami: Unfamiliar People--Swelling of Monsterized Human Ego

This fresh look at artist Takashi Murakami takes on the ＂monstrous＂ themes of rampant consumerism, human fallibility, and the perils of life in the digital fast lane, in works from the past decade

One of Japan’s leading contemporary artists, Takashi Murakami (b. 1962) is known for a wide-ranging practice that encompasses not only fine art but fashion, consumer products, curation, and entertainment. Founder of the Superflat movement, Murakami makes art that is larger than life, boldly colored, and buoyant, with a Pop sensibility that draws inspiration from anime and manga.

But beyond the happy flowers and kawaii characters that have defined Murakami’s career lurk darker manifestations: the sharp-toothed, multi-eyed monsters that have increasingly become the artist’s vehicle for expressing the effects of rampant consumerism, human fallibility, and the perils of life in the digital fast lane. This book explores these themes in works from the last decade, presenting a disquieting vision of monsterized beings born in an era of unprecedented environmental, political, and social turmoil.

Conversations with Murakami and essays by Laura W. Allen, Hiroko Ikegami, and Masako Shiba deconstruct what monsters mean to the artist and reflect on new directions in Murakami’s sculpture and the genesis of his recent NFT projects. The book features lavish color illustrations, a plastic jacket, dyed edges, and four gatefolds.

Published in association with the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

Exhibition Schedule:

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
(September 15, 2023-February 12, 2024)

Laura W. Allen is senior curator of Japanese art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.
Hiroko Ikegami is professor in the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies at Kobe University.
Masako Shiba is cofounder of ONBD, a web3 and NFT curation platform.