About the artwork
This striking work by Takashi Murakami explores the dichotomy of joy and terror, as illustrated through the contrast between the numerous beaming flowers and skulls interspersed throughout the work. Both oppositional and parallel, these two symbols are reminders of the fragile vibrancy of life and the inexorable passage of time, while reinforcing the macabre undercurrent of the work is the word “Hollow” that dominates the canvas. A cultural entrepreneur and critical observer of contemporary Japanese society, Murakami moves freely within an ever-expanding field of aesthetic issues and cultural inspirations.
About the artist
Takashi Murakami was born in 1962 in Tokyo and is a prolific contemporary Japanese artist of international renown. Working with fine art mediums (painting and sculpture) as well as conventional commercial mediums (fashion,
merchandise, and animation), the artist is known for blurring the line between high
and low art. He coined his style 'superflat', which describes the aesthetic
characteristics of the Japanese artistic tradition and the nature of post-war Japanese culture and society. Murakami’s works have been exhibited all
over the world, including prestigious institutions such as the Guggenheim
Museum in Bilbao, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Fondation Cartier pour
l'art Contemporain, Paris, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.