Murakami bridges physical and digital realms in show
STORY: Location: Gagosian Gallery, New York
Date: May 11, 2022
How can an art exhibition bridge the physical and digital worlds?
Visitors at ‘An Arrow through History' can activate Snapchat filters
to appreciate the augmented-reality animation with the actual works
by Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami
[Takashi Murakami, Artist]
“I have had my own studio in New York for a long time. Without my experience here, I could not make it as a modern artist. New York is not only important but indispensable. But what I create always has the theme of Japan. So, I created this ‘roadmap’ as a bridge of these two (Japanese and American) cultures."
Some artworks are reminiscent of
pixelated 1980s video games
The exhibition also dives into the world of NFTs
[Takashi Murakami, Artist]
“The title of the show is, ‘An Arrow through History’. These are NFT art pieces but many people still do not now understand NFTs. They are suspicious of the value and prices. At the same time, the Chinese vases I painted have value of probably about 10-billion Yen each in China. But when they were created, nameless artisans drew the painting on those vases. But through the history, it all became valuable. And when I saw them, they moved me and motivated me to paint them.I wanted the express how I digested the unceasing history of art created by human beings."
