BubblewrapAfter Mono-ha, the next established art movement is Superflat, but that means the interim period overlapping the years of Japan's economic bubble has yet to be named, and I think calling it "Bubblewrap" suits it well. It especially makes sense if you incorporate the realm of ceramics. This show will contemplate this period through works including those from Takashi Murakami's collection.

December 15(Sat.) 2018 - March 3(Sun.) 2019

Bubblewrap is an exhibition curated by, and based on the collection of, world-renowned Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami. It is an extremely ambitious attempt to reconceive post-war Japanese contemporary art by focusing on the artistic movements of Japan's so-called Bubble Economy era, reflecting panoramically on them along with post-1990 ceramic art.

Murakami describes Bubblewrap as follows: "This is an ambitious exhibition which endeavors to reinterpret post-war Japanese contemporary art in a new light. How is it ambitious? It attempts to take art movements with established names—such as Mono-ha and Superflat—and skewer them through with numerous other yet-unnamed expressive forms in between, thereby revealing a larger narrative. This project investigates the reasons behind the partial rise and maturation of ceramic art which occurred during Japan's 'Lost Two Decades’—the period after 1990 characterized by slow economic growth and deflation—and juxtaposes it with Japanese art from the Bubble Economy era. The exhibition is innovative in the way it throws the core of Japanese people's sense of beauty into relief. Adopting the name ‘Bubblewrap,’ referring to a type of plastic packing material, for this holistic perspective, this project carefully packages these ideas, then relocates and reorganizes them."

During the period overlapping the years of Japan's economic bubble, various artistic movements "bubbled up" one after another. Murakami took this phenomenon and invented a new artistic term, “Bubblewrap," to embody it. The way he also explores how contemporary ceramics relates to this phenomenon demonstrates Murakami's unique perspective on art.

Just as Superflat made a shocking impact on the art world when it was first conceived, Bubblewrap is also bound to create a significant ripple. This exhibition is the embodiment of Murakami's work as a collector and curator, and is a unique opportunity to engage with the latest ideas of an artist who constantly tackles the question, "What is art?"

Takashi Murakami (Curator)

Photo by Chika Okazumi ©Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Born in 1962 in Tokyo, Murakami completed his doctoral work at Tokyo University of the Arts’ School of Fine Arts, becoming the first person at the university to earn a Ph.D. in Nihonga. He is the founder and president of Kaikai Kiki, an art production and management company. Murakami is one of today’s most internationally recognized contemporary artists. In 2008, Murakami was selected as one of TIME magazine’s “The 100 Most Influential People.” In addition to his solo exhibitions held in museums across the globe, Murakami is also known as a film director and producer of up-and-coming artists.

In 2015, Murakami held Takashi Murakami: The 500 Arhats at Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum, his first exhibition in his home country of Japan in 14 years. The following year he took the Japanese art world by storm at Yokohama Museum of Art with Takashi Murakami’s Superflat Collection ―From Shōhaku and Rosanjin to Anselm Kiefer―, an exhibition that showcased antiques and contemporary artworks from Murakami’s vast personal collection.

Artists

A BATHING APE, Ryo Aoki, Chiho Aoshima, Tomoko Arakawa, Nobuyoshi Araki, Masanobu Ando, Hideaki Anno, Yuji Ueda, Chu Enoki, Koji Enokura, Shinro Ohtake, Otani Workshop, Kenjiro Okazaki, Atsushi Ogata, Teppei Ono, ob, Izumi Kato, Hideto Kamiizumi, Tadashi Kawamata, Mokuma Kikuhata, Mahomi Kunikata, Yukiharu Kumagai, Emi Kuraya, groovisions, Takuro Kuwata, Naoki Koide, Aso Kojima, Masato Kobayashi, Shigeru Komatsuzaki, Kazumi Sakata(Dealer/Furudogu Sakata), Rei Sato, Masafumi Sanai, JNTHED, Kishin Shinoyama, Shiro Shimizu, Kishio Suga, Hajime Sorayama, Aya Takano, Kentaro Takekuma, Kiichi Tsutaya, Keiji Tsuruno, DIEGO, TENGAone, Natsuyuki Nakanishi, Kodai Nakahara, Kazumi Nakamura, Yoshitomo Nara, Tohl Narita, Akio Nukaga, Kazunori Hamana, Haroshi, Chinatsu Ban, Katsuhiko Hibino, Hiro Sugiyama/Enlightenment, HIROMIX, Shinya Fujiwara, BOME, Shoji Matsushita, MADSAKI, Tomio Miki, Mr., Shigeyoshi Morioka, Yuji Muraki, Shin Murata, Yasumasa Morimura, Harumi Yamaguchi, Ryutaro Yamada, Keisuke Yamamoto, Finger Pointing Worker, Lee Ufan, Takayuki Watanabe

Exhibition Information

Dates：

December 15(Sat.) 2018 - March 3(Sun.) 2019

Opening Hours：

10:00 AM - 8:00 PM (admission until 7:30 PM)

Closed：

Tuesday, December 29(Sat.) - January 3(Thu.) 2019

Admission：

Adult：
¥1000 (¥800)
Seniors (65 and over)：
¥800 (¥600)
Students (High school students and over)：
¥500 (¥400)
Junior high school students and under：
¥0

*The admission given in parentheses are for advance tickets / group (20 and over) / with one-day ticket for tram or buss, etc.

*Advance tickets will be on sales until December 14(Fri.).

Venue：

Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, Gallery I and II

Organized by：

Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, KAB (Kumamoto Asahi Broadcasting Co., Ltd.), Kumamoto Nichinichi Press

With the cooperation of：

Kumamoto PARCO, Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd.

With the support of：

Kumamoto Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education, Kumamoto City Board of Education, Kumamoto Ken Bunka Kyokai (Cultural Association of Kumamoto), Kumamoto Ken Bijutsuka Renmei (Artist’s Union of Kumamoto), Kumamoto International Convention and Tourism Bureau, NHK Kumamoto, J:COM, FM-Kumamoto, FM791