Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, which celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2023, is pleased to present Takashi Murakami Mononoke Kyoto, a large-scale solo exhibition of works by Takashi Murakami (b. 1962–), an artist at the forefront of contemporary art.

　Superflat, the art and cultural theory that Murakami proposed in 2000, has had a major impact on the contemporary art scene over the years. The theory has explored the essential meaning of art, not only linking traditional Japanese pictorial expression with pop culture, such as anime, manga, and video games, but also considering Japanese sensibilities and aspects of society before and after World War II, along with capitalist economics, politics, and religion, all on a flattened plane. With a distinctively Japanese perspective, Murakami’s career has continually challenged and stimulated the international art scene that takes the Western values as its de facto norm.

　The Edo period (1603–1868) artists thrived in Kyoto, and fine arts, performing arts, festivals, and traditional events from the ancient times remain alive and well in this city to this day. Murakami’s first large-scale solo exhibition in Japan in roughly eight years takes place here in the city that has fascinated the artist since the beginning of his career. Divided into six sections, the exhibition presents about 170 works, the majority of which are either new creations or pieces never before exhibited in Japan. This includes his newly produced Rakuchū-Rakugai-zu Byōbu: Iwasa Matabei RIP; a series of works based on the theme of the four deities that symbolize the four cardinal directions; and other representative works. Takashi Murakami never ceases to move forward. We hope you thoroughly enjoy the exhibition that showcases the new Murakami World he has created by approaching Kyoto head-on.