Sugimoto68
It’s the 20th anniversary of the second Murakami My First Art collection—Murakami’s greatest series, which shipped in 2004. The first My First Art collection (2001) consisted of twenty 50x50cm prints. This second series introduced Murakami’s most iconic characters and include the first oversized prints of over 68x68cm (inspiring the name of this site) as well …
Art and Contradiction sum up the enigmatic Roamcouch, perhaps the best known Japanese graffiti artist (maybe second to this guy, raised in the US). Roamcouch’s 2014 premier solo show in the U.S., Beautiful Life, established his street cred and trademark style of beautiful contradiction evoked through a clash of realist scenes bounded by surreal toy-like backdrops of rainbows and stars, as in the works Rainbow Inc. and When you wish upon a star. Revolution illustrates rebellion in the hands of innocents who take aim at justifiable social ills––such as the POlice.
With the number of Doraemon/Murakami collaboration prints at 37 offset editions, 26 hanga editions and counting, it’s no wonder that there is confusion about what’s what. What’s so great about Doraemon anyway? Who on earth is Murakami’s collaborator, the mysterious Fujiko F. Fujio? Why does this print retail literally for $4000 and while that other …
Recently the graffiti artist KYNE has appeared on Murakami’s radar. Kaikai Kiki’s Tonari no Zingaro has released a series of silkscreen editions to promote him, and KYNE has a Perrotin appearance in Healing, a group show curated by Murakami. Their connection stems in part from a shared love of channeling Showa era pop culture in …
Continue reading “That KYNE Show: Why KYNE is Murakami’s next Kingmaker Project”
“Well, I don’t know.” Anne looked thoughtful. “I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t believe a rose would be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.” (L.M. Montgomery, Anne of …