Murakami: The Commercial Artist

The ongoing Murakami exhibit at the Geffen Contemporary is a must-see. I knew it would be fun, but I didn't know that this guy is not only a vibrant artist pushing the edge of what is kitsch, art, commercial and a complete sell-out, but he is also a filmmaker who wants to position himself in the global mainstream as the next Spielberg--someone he hugely admires.

Here's Peter Debruge on Murakami's animation work; at a recent MOCA panel organized by Variety, DreamWorks animation czar Jeffrey Katzenberg met Murakami for the first time and later brought him to DreamWorks for a tour, which caused some buzz.

Murakami churns out hugely expensive big-scale high art, sculptures covered in gold foil, as well as tiny collectible action figures, wallpaper, greeting cards, t-shirts and Louis Vuitton luggage:

MOCA shows Murakami's animated Kanye West Good Morning video, which is terrific. This YouTube shakycam version is all over the Web but is not official:

And here's the Kaikai & Kiki movie trailer--the animated footage at MOCA was cool:

The film in progress that they screened, a kitchen sink live-action view of youth in Japan, left me cold.

The MOCA description of the Murakami exhibit is on the jump:

Arguably the most internationally acclaimed artist to emerge from Asia in the postwar era, Murakami effortlessly navigates between the worlds of fine art and popular-culture. Featuring the artist best known for his cartoon-like, “superflat” style, this large-scale retrospective includes key selections that span the artist’s career from the early 1990s to the present. The exhibition will include early political works that critique Japan’s consumer culture and talent industries, the ongoing evolution of Murakami’s anime alter-ego, DOB, and an exploration of his large-scale otaku-inspired figure projects of the late 1990s. The artist will also premiere a new body of work that centers on a feature-length animated film. In addition, a fully functional Louis Vuitton boutique will be included as part of the exhibition, highlighting the artist’s continued collaboration with the company. The exhibition is curated by MOCA Chief Curator Paul Schimmel with Research Assistant Mika Yoshitake and is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.