Conversation Takashi Murakami - Hans-Ulrich Obrist
- Date
- 11 April 2018 – 8:30pm
- Place
- Auditorium
© Fondation Louis Vuitton / Gaël Cornier
In parallel with the In Tune with the World exhibition, a number of events will be scheduled at which artists, scientists, sociologists, anthropologists and philosophers come together for face-to-face encounters with the public.
This Conversation will be broadcast live on the Fondation's website.
In what new ways are humans tied to their environment?
Dialogue on the work of Takashi Murakami
Today’s artists reflect and interpret the fascinating, leading-edge research being conducted to understand the oneness of the countless forms of life that form the tapestry of our world, blurring the distinctions between human, animal, plant and even mineral.
This In Tune with the World exhibition is based on a specific theme that explores current questions about humankind’s place in the universe and new approaches to how humans are tied to their environment and the realm of living things.
The artists
Takashi Murakami
A leading figure in the Japanese art world, Takashi Murakami has become internationally known for his unique, uncategorisable work. He has invented a new language, characterised for more than three decades by a bold mixture of genres, influences, eras and materials.
After studying traditional painting at Tokyo University of the Arts, Murakami looked for a new form of personal expression in reaction to the context of the time, which he felt was lacking a national contemporary scene and was dominated by American culture. Driven by an unbridled imagination, Murakami creates strange and singular, dark and wonderful worlds populated by fantastical figures, fairy-tale animals, fabulous creatures, malicious monsters and abundant flora. Drawing on the political, cultural, religious and social history of Japan, Murakami borrows from the Kawaii aesthetic, anime and manga, as well as the old masters of painting and Buddhist iconography. From the atomic bomb to the tsunami and earthquakes, references to the more or less recent traumatisms that have affected his country are omnipresent in his work. Composed of a variety of forms and materials (painting, sculpture, installation, animated film, alongside pieces created by his company Kaikai Kiki), his prolific output is marked by a singular style that masterfully combines traditional pictorial techniques with the very latest technologies.
