Sublimation printing, Off-White belt, and Off-White zip ties on canvas mounted on aluminum frame

41.7 x 35.5 x 4 cm. 16 3/8 x 13 1/2 x 1 5/8 in.

Signed in English and dated on the top; credited on the aluminum frame
EXHIBITED
23 Jun – 28 Jul 2018, Murakami & Abloh——Technicolour 2, Gagosian Gallery, Paris

PROVENANCE
Gagosian Gallery, Hong Kong
Private Collection, Asia

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Gagosian Gallery, Hong Kong

Marvelous Flowers in the Dream Factory
A Pioneer Crossover by Takashi Murakami x Virgil Abloh

In 2019, the retrospective MURAKAMI VS MURAKAMI in Hong Kong became a hit in town with over 150,000 visitors, proving the significant influence of the leading exponent in the Japanese contemporary art world. Murakami began studying painting since 1980 before entering the Tokyo University of the Arts. On the foundation of traditional Japanese aesthetics, he continued the creative approach of pop art which combine business and art studio, and developed an anime style that is close to daily life, thus making an artistic declaration of his own. Since 2017, he has collaborated with Virgil Abloh, the founder and chief designer of Off White, one the most popular fashion brands today, to incorporate his most iconic flower image into Off White's accessories and create art pieces of contemporary significance. The presented work, Flower Belt, is a representative of this collaboration.

Faces of the Time in a Dazzling World

On the flat plane of the work, the petals are painted in varied hues of blue, pink, purple, and yellow over the white background. The different colors seem to render different personalities to the smiley faces consist of round eyes and mouths wide open, which bring the viewers of varied ages back to their childhood. While acknowledging and deconstructing traditional Japanese aesthetics, the artist also constructs the absent faces of the time in the image, whose homogenous expressions and forms are the products of modern society. Informed with Japanese aesthetics, the work fully reveals the Murakami's reflection on today's society.

Become the One and Only With Unprecedented Ideas

“Originality is the criterion for art. To bring the world something brand new and unprecedented is the key to success. Therefore, to make yourself the one and only is essential.”
——Takashi Murakami

In Flower, the artist unconventionally challenges our perception of art. The printed flower patterns may seem homogenous at first glance, while the concepts they generate represent the core value of the work. Completed with Murakami's imagination and creation, the work is genuinely unique all over the world. After Warhol set up the business model of art, Takashi Murakami transplanted it into the Japanese culture and led it to the global stage. The colorful flowers with smiling faces are here the carriers of Super Flat artistic style, which is rooted in traditional Japanese culture, just as the commercial images to Pop Art. In this way, the flower patterns are infused with artistic value, presenting the pioneer art form of Murakami.

The Crossover of Contemporary Culture and Fashion

If it was Murakami that popularized art and gained wider attention for it, then it is Abloh's design philosophy that infuses the street fashion with an artistic soul. At the intersection between art and non-art lies the origin of crossover, which led to a historic collaboration. As Abloh once said, “My idea of streetwear is related to Duchamp; that is, the concept of ready-made.” The industrial belt, one of Off White's most celebrated products, was inspired by the zebra crossing in the airport and bore the irony and incompleteness that Abloh wanted to express. And when the “industrial belt” meets Murakami's printed floral cloth, the fantastic collaboration of “ready-made x ready-made” comes to life. The two artists subverted the tradition and produced the artwork of unique ideas and content. In Flower Belt, one Off White industrial belt hangs from the top of the picture, breaking the plane surface and resulting in a three-dimensional visual effect. Infused with new inspirations, the work breaks the boundaries between goods and artworks. The one and only Flower Belt is standing at the turning point of history, calling out the brand-new creation declaration of the two masters.

Price estimate:
HKD: 380,000 – 580,000
USD: 49,000 – 74,800

Auction Result:
HKD: --