Artists: Takashi Murakami

Takashi Murakami is best known for his contemporary combination of fine art and pop culture. He uses recognizable iconography like Mickey Mouse and cartoonish flowers and infuses it with Japanese culture. The result is a boldly colorful body of work that takes the shape of paintings, sculptures and animations.

In the 1990s, Murakami founded the Superflat movement in an attempt to expose the "shallow emptiness of Japanese consumer culture." The artist plays on the familiar aesthetic of mangas, Japanese-language comics, to render works that appear democratic and accessible, all the while denouncing the universality and unspecificity of consumer goods. True to form, Murakami has done collaborations with numerous brands and celebrities including Kanye West, Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams and Google.

TAKASHI MURAKAMI - X Complexcon – Mr Dob set of 2 - SIGNED 2016 / 2019

To celebrate the Complexcon 2016 event, Takashi Murakami teamed up with Bait and Bait's long term partner Switch on one of the famous character from Takashi' artwork - Mr Dob. The vinyl figures were made by Switch Collectibles and the printing by hand individually. The original color edition red/blue is limited to 750 and the gold edition is limited to only 250. These figures were available for pre-order at Complexcon and Bait's online store. They sold out immediately.

Mr Dob, the whimsical, sharp-toothed character is Murakami's first signature creation inspired by the anime (animated film) and manga (comic book) characters that have achieved cult status in Japanese youth culture. His name is a contraction of the Japanese slang expression "dobojite," or "why?" and it is literally spelled out in his facial features and appendages, ensuring we recognize him in spite of his ever-changing appearance.

Murakami signed a final batch in April 2019 and these figures came available through lottery for Japanese residents only. Both figures are hand signed and dated 2016 / 2019 on the bottom.

2 x Vinyl figures in their original presentation boxes, brown carton boxes and additional white Kaikai Kiki Co. Ltd. boxes.

Size: 23,5 cm tall and 27,5 cm wide (each)

Weight: 5 kg each (approx)

Executed in: 2016/2019

Edition:

Limited edition of 750 (red/blue)
Limited edition of 250 (gold)

Condition: These works are in a mint condition. No condition issues. The presentation boxes have very some light scuffs.

Acquired directly from the publisher

TAKASHI MURAKAMI - ENSO: MEMENTO MORI RED ON BLUE

Woven paper, four-color offset printing, silver

Size: 68 x 68 cm / 26.77 x 26.77 in

Executed in: 2016

Edition: 300

Takashi Murakami's Kaikai Kiki studio
Perrotin