by Marco Martello
“The spark of idea that would bring me to magic never arrives. And so, day after day, I simply and diligently keep up with my learning and paint the product of that learning…”
Takashi Murakami – associating innovation with the precision of the tradition, Japanese tradition – chants, enchants in attempt to discern the essence of the artistic practice. In 2001 Murakami elaborated – through a tripartite exhibition he curated – the Superflat Aesthetic theory, conceptualising and intellectualising. Takashi Murakami – walking the fine line between low and high culture – draws, paints, sprays in memory of Francis Bacon and Ogata Kōrin. He dreams of attractive but repulsive creatures, sustaining the myth of the modern. He reflects on anime, manga, woodblock prints (…as they mix, intermix), revealing the reality of the aftermath. The solo exhibition is about known objects (such as skulls, abstract patterns) and unknown subjects (the “Arhats” and “Ensō” series).
Takashi Murakami: Learning the Magic of Painting will be held, till December 23rd, at Galerie Perrotin (76 Rue de Turenne, Paris).
“…today, as always, I am learning the magic of painting” T.M.