Murakami Takashi

Murakami Takashi (Japanese: Murakami Takashi/Murakami Takashi, Romanized: Murakami Takashi, February 1, 1962 -) is a Japanese artist. He studied at Tokyo University of the Arts. He is the founder of the Superflat movement, a postmodern art style influenced by Japanese animation and manga that focuses on otaku culture and lifestyle. It was inspired by numerous eccentric ukiyo-e artists and the 1983 animated work "Harmagedon" by Iko Kaneda. Received BFA, MFA and PhD awards from Tokyo University of the Arts. In 1996, he founded the HIROPON factory in Tokyo, which later evolved into the current Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., a large-scale art production and art management company. He has exhibited at many world-famous exhibition venues, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo in 2001, the Serpentine Gallery in London in 2002, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles in 2007, and the Brooklyn Museum in New York in 2008. In 2003, he created colorful patterned leather goods for Louis Vuitton, pushing his personal art career to its peak. Currently, he serves as a visiting professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.