Takashi Murakami

"Takashi Murakami is one of the most thoughtful - and thought-provoking - Japanese artists of the 1990s. His work ranges from cartoony paintings to quasi-minimalist sculptures to giant inflatable balloons to performance events to factory-produced watches, t-shirts and other products, many of which are emblazoned with his signature character, Mr. DOB. Murakami mixes and morphs on canvas, light boxes, posters and other media, cutting a wide, seemingly schizophrenic path that attracts the attention of the international artworld, the Japanese news media, schoolgirls, and the otaku or "geek" subculture alike. He has built up a rich body of work that both reflects upon and slyly interrogates postwar, postrecovery Japanese art and popular culture, voraciously absorbing and engaging both history and culture from Japan and the West, from exalted ceremonies to obscure youthful diversions, such as anime (animation films) and manga (comics), from traditional nihon-ga painting to the work of Abstract Expressionist icon Jackson Pollock and Pop genius Andy Warhol. Murakami's diverse art objects and activities tickle the eye as well as the imagination, and his elaborate ideas inspire new ways to think about Japanese culture."--BOOK JACKET.