Contemporary Japanese Artists and the Superflat Movement

I was lucky enough to have participated in the Japanese Immersion program offered by my local school district from kindergarten through 12th grade. During that time, I'd become fluent in the language, have the chance to visit Japan and attend school there, and as a whole gained a completely unique world view from some of my peers. Understanding the history and culture of a country so different to your own can add to your appreciation as well as critique of your own society and life. Being so enmeshed in Japan and its language also meant I was exposed to a lot of Japanese art and music as well. So much so that I was able to find a few artists which remain some of my favorites ever.

727 by 村上隆 (Takashi Murakami), 2004, Synthetic polymer paint on canvas

Takashi Murakami is inarguably the most widely recognizable name in the Japanese art world, as his influence has now reached beyond fans of the visual arts. Especially within the last 10 years or so, his pieces have become extremely popular amongst people of my own generation as he frequently collaborates with brands like Uniqlo (a Japanese clothing brand similar to Gap) as well as Supreme, Louis Vuitton, Vans and Comme Des Garcons. He frequently makes use of his own characters and motifs, such as his iconic flower, or the "Mr. Dob" who takes center stage of the above piece. Murakami is credited with launching and pioneering the Superflat movement, which is essentially his signature style; anime-derived or otherwise flattened character design, with pieces often touching on social and political attitudes of post-WWII Japan. Other themes include childhood and youth, hyper-consumerism, and even sexuality. 

727 is named and conceptualized after the American planes of the same name which the artist recalls flew overhead his home to nearby U.S. military bases throughout his childhood, and the lingering American presence in Japan is a common theme throughout his body of work. Stylistically, this piece is inspired by manga and cartoon art, as the avatar and the cloud or wave (a nod to Hokusai's Great Wave?) he seems to be riding are drawn in the flat, two dimensional style. The character grins large, sharp teeth and is humanoid, but has four or five red eyes and wears some sort of blue outer shell. The character is scary, yet beautiful, which is similar to how I'd describe a plane flying closely overhead. The background texture, which looks almost like waves crashing or extremely intricate clouds, was created by scraping away layers of paint to appear reminiscent of traditional Nihonga style paintings. I absolutely adore this piece and I'm considering buying the poster from the Museum of Modern Art.

Fire by 奈良美智 (Yoshimoto Nara), 2009, Acrylic on wood

Children are the recurring subject throughout Yoshimoto Nara's body of work, often being used to communicate feelings of angst, protest, and solitude. He is credited alongside Murakami for pioneering the Superflat style, though the attitude of his art takes a much different approach. The children will occasionally appear bearing knives, fangs, lit torches and cigarettes. In Fire, a young girl watches a toy house burn atop a green table. She is only tall enough to peer over the top of the table, yet her resignation to its destruction seems to suggest she is the one who lit it in the first place. The scene is reflected in her huge pupils and her expression seems to be a mix of amazement and fear. The colors of the piece adhere pretty closely to an earth tone palette, which is a stylistic theme for all of his work to my knowledge. I was particularly drawn to this piece because I think it can be interpreted extremely personally as well as more broadly metaphorically. Perhaps the doll house represents a feeling of disconnect towards one own's home life, a loss of innocence, or some other major life event for the child. 

let's go, to the battle by タカノ綾 (Aya Takano), 2020, Oil on canvas

Aya Takano is another popular contemporary artist who happens to be represented by Kaikai Kiki, Takashi Murakami's creative studio founded in 2001. Similar to Murakami's style, her feminine figures often take on ethereal roles of fairies, aliens, and warriors. Traversing forests, space, and the Earth 100 years in the future, her work is clearly more derivative of anime and manga influences. Another leader of the Superflat movement, at least popularity wise, I've seen her paintings, and more recently, her tarot deck, all over TikTok, Tumblr and Instagram. Her characters have become quite popular as tattoos even. Her style is instantly recognizable and is a consistent language throughout all of her work. let's go, to the battle is extremely colorful in its composition, and two girls are the sole humans present in the scene. Hovering above the bus, we can assume they're flying or levitating, and are en route to the titular battle. The scene is calm, though, and no conflict can be inferred from the perfect sherbert gradient sky and sparse clouds in the background. Out of the three, I'd choose this piece, or any of Takano's, to show to someone as an introduction to my favorite artists. Her style is very evocative of nostalgia and emotion.

Works Cited

“Aya Takano.” Aya Takano - 106 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy, https://www.artsy.net/artist/aya-takano. 

Loft, Halina. “Yoshitomo Nara's Mischievous Gaze.” Sothebys.com, Sotheby's, 26 Feb. 2020, https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/yoshitomo-naras-mischievous-gaze. 

“Superflat Movement Overview.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/movement/superflat/. 

“Takashi Murakami. 727. 1996: Moma.” The Museum of Modern Art, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/88960. 

Villa, Angelica. “How Yoshitomo Nara's Manga-Inspired Paintings Tap into Universal Feelings of Anxiety.” ARTnews.com, ARTnews.com, 18 May 2021, https://www.artnews.com/feature/yoshitomo-nara-who-is-he-why-is-he-important-1234590949/.