Acrylic on canvas

70 x 49 cm. 27 1/2 × 19 1/4 in.

Signed in English and dated on upper right of the reverse
PROVENANCE
30 Jun 2012, SBI Tokyo Summer Auctions, Lot 44
Acquired directly by present Japanese collector from the above

Mr.'s Tale of Youthfulness

Mr.'s works are the fusion of lolicon and otaku culture, an irresistible world of innocence.
Paul McCarthy

If Takashi Murakami is the first person to successfully introduce the Japanese subculture into the contemporary art world, Mr. (Masatsu Iwamoto), as his chief disciple, is his successor in carrying forward the Otaku culture. Graduated from the Sokei Academy of Fine Art and Design in 1996, Mr. has worked with Takashi Murakami for more than 20 years and become the most famous artist in the art company (Kaikai Kiki) founded by Takashi Murakami. Mr. has held solo exhibitions at Musée national des Arts asiatiques-Guimet and Seattle Art Museum and his artworks have been collected by Philadelphia Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum, and Daegu Art Museum. His works are steeped in the spirit of Japanese animation culture, especially the lolicon and otaku culture. The cute girls commonly seen in anime and video games, with their iconic bright eyes and slender figures, are the most representative images of the Japanese subculture. In this spring auction, we present two of Mr.'s oil paintings, Games are Permitted Up to One Hour a Day and Bon Journo in Starry Night, as well as painting on paper Untitled, to display his diverse aesthetic pursuit.

The Otaku Girls, The Splendid World

Although manga and animation are labeled as subcultures in Japan, they deeply influence people's daily lives. In 1999, Murakami proposed the “super flat theory”, which treats manga and animation as important forms of art, thus allowing otaku culture to gain worldwide recognition through fine art. In his work Games are Permitted Up to One Hour a Day (2008), Mr. fully interprets the otaku culture. In this work, a girl with short hair and big eyes is lying on the tatami with her hands supporting her cheeks. Her flushed face and green hoodie show her youthfulness. In front of her is a tablet. Within a light click, she can enter the game world that escapes from reality. The manga on the floor, the fresh oranges on the table, the takeaway menus, and the hairpins all demonstrate that the girl's life at home is satisfying in her own style. This work breaks people's negative perception of the otaku culture and bestow warm and healing connotation to the emerging lifestyle of socializing without leaving home due to the advancement of technology.
Through bright colors and protagonist with positive energy, Mr. presents the inner desire and fantasies in this artwork. Games are Permitted Up to One Hour a Day not only embodies the desire for playing games, but also the fear for addiction. It is about the projection of inner desire that cannot be realized, which is profoundly resonating.

Memory of a Past Summer, Taste of Excitement

In Bon Journo in Stamg Night (1998), a girl in a blue and white uniform walks against the wind. The wind not only blows her long orange hair, but also sways her fluffy skirt. The girl places her hands on the skirt, her eyes looking forward. The bright green background symbolizes spring and hope and implies her unbridled youthfulness. This young girl reminds the viewers of the protagonists in Hayao Miyazaki's animations, which entails an unfolding story.

Protector of women power

Untitled depicts two girls who practice martial art. The two girls, one with red hair and the other with orange hair, are both wearing blue martial art gowns. With long sticks in their hands and bright smile on their faces, they have subverted the impression of samurais, i.e., they are serious and aggressive adult males, and deconstructed traditional Japanese Budo culture with “Moe aesthetics”. The red-eared bunny in the lower left corner hides behind the owner. In this picture, girls are no longer the synonym to weakness, but have become the protectors of other creatures, exhibiting powerful female vitality and confidence.

Price estimate:
HKD: 220,000 – 320,000
USD: 28,400 – 41,300

Auction Result:
HKD: 826,000