Takashi Murakami – Japanese Artist

This guy doesn’t need any exposure, but I like his work, so I’m going to show it.

His use of such a wide range of colors and playful subjects attracts me to his work. I really like the diversity, and the fact that he is not afraid to explore and combine unusual subjects. A lot of the reason behind this is probably his cultural background; these things seem to be more accepted within Eastern cultures.

There is a lot of playful grunge with a gleam of finesse that makes a sense of fun while being intrigued.

If you explore the gallery photos on other sites, you will see that there are a few of his anime works that I find a bit unsettling, but I’m sure there is a big enough fan base to provide justification for their existence. Not that justification is a necessity in art, by any means.

Takashi’s nuclear demons, playful skulls and flowers provoke thought on what lies beneath the surface of the artist’s intent, all engrossed within a bubbling cloud of happiness.

I came across his work not through Louis Vuitton, as most people in our western world would, but through the beautiful perversion of colorful skulls exploding and dripping down the canvas, and the elaborate blue and red dragons sketched in paint across enormous white walls.

You can view more of Takashi’s work at Gagosian.