Interesting comments here on Murakami. It is worth noting that he is handled in Japan by the outward looking gallerist Tomio Koyama, whose target has always been the American market.

I agree that Murakami does play the "exotic Asian" card, but that is what gets you in with Americans, no? How else to explain Mariko Mori and Yoshitomo Nara?

I think the ideas behind Murakami's work are weak, but they are wrapped up nicely -- form over content.

Here's the thing; Murakami is a lot like Klatu stepping off from the UFO platform in, "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Surrounded by suspicion and an omnipresent state of fear and apprehension, he presents a gift to the American people and is naturally shot for his efforts. This film was made fifty years ago and yet intolerance continues to reign supreme. Murakami's work is refreshingly different and I for one cannot get enough of it. Users emails suggesting he's a huckster etc. I think are missing the bigger picture, in fact it's a lot like hearing those long-winded explanations on the relevence of "Porky Pig in American Culture" so popular at UCLA. Having said that, some would say that the role of art in society is to create discussion and this fellow's work has certainly achieved that.

Interesting that the majority of people here proclaiming how lackluster or derivative Murakami's Rockefeller show is display an inordinate lack of knowledge regarding his motivations or interests. Also, if Paul McCarthy

has praise for Murakami I think you naysayers should go home and study a little bit more or at least think about what you really mean. Its boring and de rigeur for a group of New Yorker's to lambast someone for doing an excellent job. I'm all for a critical commentary but let's try to do it with some knowledge not just emotion.

Simply put: Don't be a hater!

For those bitching Murakami, don't hate what you don't understand. Seriously. Shut up. See the show. Get a life.

Seriously. Shut up. See the show. Get a life.

guys...take it easy yeah??

h zoh eine orea, para mono an to thes esy!

Dang, what's with all the cat fighting?...

Murakami's work isn't remarkably complex... it addresses certain issues about a culture (otaku) , that he feels somehow connected to. Pretty simple.

It's true... he displays his art in NY because he knows he can make money here... but common now!!! Artists and designers (me being one of them) would all gladly accept a nice fat paycheck and I don't want to hear that they wouldn't!!! I'm not saying that all artists do it for the money... but if they CAN make money, then more power to them! It only gets bad when the artists start to get greedy and jaded, which I don't think Murakami is... his work doesn't really take either side, good or bad, it is more of a neutral representation of what he sees.

At a time where people care less and less about art in the first place, it's nice to at least see something fresh. Sure, anime has been around forever, but it takes that extra step to take an existing entity and change its context to convey a new layer of meaning. In that way, I find his work successful.

you either love it or detest it. but one thing is clear: you artists and critics say describe murakami's work as "recycled" and "unimaginative", yet people seem to be attracted to it nonetheless. you say it's elementary and that anyone, even sanrio, can reproduce his work, but guess what? you didn't. bitch, bitch, bitch all you want and deal with it. ^_^

wow

"his commercial prowess as genius."

Ah, now that I will agree with. I also agree with you that he is 'over.' As for anger, I don't know what you're reading into my comments, a strong opinion doesn't equal foaming at the mouth anger. Lighten up dude, it's just a comment thread.

;^)

"his commercial prowess as genius."

Ah, now that I will agree with. I also agree with you that he is 'over.' As for anger, I don't know what you're reading into my comments, a strong opinion doesn't equal foaming at the mouth anger. Lighten up dude, it's just a comment thread.

;^)

I think I was making the point that the social commentary is, as you put it, obvious. I referred to his commercial prowess as genius. In fact, I later insinuated that he is "over."

Also, I feel like I want to help you work on that anger. What's the big deal?

"he might not just be "playing to" expectations, but also mocking and deriding them?"

Making that assumption is giving him a lot of credit that I can find no prior evidence to support.

That's like saying, "hey, the banzai show on fox is making fun of japanese game shows, how subversive and intelligent of them to comment on this by parodying it, exaggerating it, and then selling it back to us. SOCIAL COMMENTARY GENIUS!"

You post proves that when someone has drunk the kool-aid, they'll go to any lengths to intellectually justify obvious crap.

Um . . . did it cross anyone's mind that by playing into western/American (nice totalizing culture concept, run with that) perceptions of Japanese popular culture, while also perverting them (and visualizing their built-in perversions) he might not just be "playing to" expectations, but also mocking and deriding them? I think it's genius, that he gets to cash in on those who don't catch the joke, as well as those who do. Insider/outsider/insider/outsider/etc. Good craic.

Also, Murakami is far from new. And I mean f--a--a--a--a--r. He was in the Venice Biennale almost 10 years ago. So I don't think he's trying to "make a splash" in the NYC art scene (before he gets busted as a young imposter!). From such a veteran, the likeliest accusation is not fraud but conservativism.

"I do make a distinction which I think we have lost. The difference is that art must move you, design need not."

-David Hockney

Isn't it nice to see all the pros and cons on art.

I saw the exhibition last year in Paris and I wasn't "bamboozled" because some guys in my school were doing the same things, making Gundam-style robots, using japanese icons in western-art, blah blah. But all in all the show is quite good when you see the sculptures texture or the paintings colors it is impressive. Just go check it out, you'll have a nice time.

PeACE

but the mushrooms have teeth! big f*ckoff shiny ones! you know what they say, guns for show, teeth for a pro.

The little guy up front reminds me of the Stay-Puft marshmellow man from Ghostbusters.

Maybe with all that North Korea stuff, and the deindustrialization of Japan continuing unabated, the "answer" of the art world is to create the most harmless creatures anyone could imagine---to ward off thoughts of permanent economic decline, repeated horrors of war.

yeah, like a good shot of diarrhea.

...Im so happy to see that Tak is doing a huge display....I caught a smaller exhibit in Boston.He also was on hand to speak...Im soO glad that his art is Shaking up the "Art"/"Fashionsita"

of New York!