Takashi Murakami Research Paper

Takashi Murakami was born on February 1, 1962 in Tokyo, Japan. He is a Japanese contemporary artist that is “… known for disseminating and promoting pop art strategies in ways unforeseen by American critics and artists” (The Board). Also, Murakami got accepted to Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music with the plan of becoming a successful animator but instead he majored in Nihonga (Widewall Takashi). Murakami blended fine art and Japanese anime to created “Superflat” which caught the eye of Louis Vuitton creative director (CNN). By partnering up with Louis Vuitton his fame skyrocket. In addition, his works have appeared in Macy’s thanksgiving parade and even created/animated a music video for Kanye west (CNN). Not only that, he has

Some of his work deals with the lifestyle of an otaku. Otaku is a term to describe a person who is obsess with manga and anime. In this case, Murakami refers himself as an otaku, “I became an otaku when I was in high school and absorbed many different things from anime, like its erotic and fantasy elements… that very process resulted in that work” (Widewalls). Takashi Murakami definitely shows how his otaku-ness influences his art work. For example, Murakami created, “My Lonesome Cowboy,” a figurine, out of oil, acrylic, fiberglass, and iron. that was sold at a grand total of 13,500,000 US dollars (Widewalls What). The figure as describe is a young male with yellow hair within his early 20’s completely naked holding his penis while ejaculating. His sperm is presented in the form of a rope while male spins it in the air like a cowboy that about lasso a calf. In this case, Murakami was expressing how erotic and strange Japanese anime made him feel in my opinion. In addition, four years later he created “Hiropon.” As Lu Stout describes “Hiropon”, “an amine-type character with monstrously huge lactating breast that are spilling out of her bikini” (CNN). In 2002, it was sold for 427,500 U.S. dollars and it transformed Takashi Murakami into a globally known artist (Widewall

For instance, in “DOB in the strange forest (blue DOB),” Murakami states that he was “influenced by Walt Disney film of ‘Alice in Wonderland.’”(Museo Guggenheim Bilbao). He goes on to say that “there was a scene with a cat sleeping on a big mushroom…. and I just put DOB there in the Forest.” Additionally, he says that the film made a “big impact on [him]” (Museo Guggenheim Bilbao). According to, Widewalls bibliography of Takashi Murakami, “Murakami created an alter ego under the name of Mr. DOB, serving as a sort of a self-portrait.” Mr. DOB is drawn with a circular head with two ears, with the letter D inscribed on his left ear and the letter B on the right ear, with the face being O-shaped, thus inscribing his name in its form (Widewalls Takashi). Mr. DOB is significant because it presents Japanese culture while still having a general influence. His alter ego demonstrates both Japanese and American animation. Throughout the years Mr. DOB appearance has been transforming into a more darker and menacing. Personally, the reason of the alter ego might be because of all the things been through and witness. Hence the reason Mr. DOB to being more dark and menacing is probably because Takashi Murakami anger or depress or anxiety is growing but he does not want to so us so he depicts it though Mr. DOB