Takashi Murakami Talks 'Shogun', Stress and his Re-Edition Louis Vuitton Collection
Takashi Murakami likes my Salehe Bembury Crocs.
He likes them a lot.
“Wow!” says the world-renowned Japanese artist, pointing at the fungi-like midsoles of my sneaker. His intense inspection began just after he – quite unnecessarily – introduced himself with both a bow and a handshake.
“They're Salehes,” I say, as he continues to study the shoe with curiosity.
“Wow! You know him?”
“No, I just love his work.” I neglect to mention that I did quickly introduce myself to him at a Moncler event last year. Or that I'm aware that Murakami is a friend and fan of the innovative American shoe designer.
“How much do they cost?” he asks, as if the price is something he must consider.
Remember: this is the man responsible for the album artwork of Kanye West's Graduation and Billie Eilish's “you should see me in a crown” music video.
His vibrant art is displayed in galleries and private collection spaces across the globe.
In the early 2000s, he launched his very own collection with Louis Vuitton, which he and the brand have revived for re-launch in January 2025.
Speaking of LV, he sits before me dripped out in monochrome garms (matching his black hair and silver facial hair) from the French maison. Except for the socks. “They're Chrome Hearts, by the way,” he says whilst lifting his baggy damier-print trousers to reveal a black sock that reads “Chrome” in yellow.
In short: these shoes of mine are very much within his budget. I tell him that they cost £135 and they're called the Junipers. The name makes him laugh. It makes his translator laugh, too. They laugh a lot.
It echoes across the lecture theatre of the V&A museum in South Kensington, where the boyish yet sagacious 62-year-old is set to give a talk as part of the Japan Cultural Expo. I ask him about the event, and that's where our conversation begins to bloom.
The event celebrates the beauty and spirit of Japan. How does your home country inspire your work?
I actually didn't fit in very well with Japanese culture and that's why I basically escaped to the United States after I debuted as a contemporary artist. I had to establish my own identity as an artist and for that I really needed to understand Japanese history, especially art history to digest it and then to convey it. So, it's more like a route I cannot escape.
What aspects of Japanese culture would you say are particularly admirable, and how might they be applied to other cultures?
When Japan first opened to the West after the Edo period, that transition was really about becoming wealthy and strong. The focus was on building a strong army to become relevant in the world.
Then after the defeat during World War Two, the army was dissolved and all the powerful conglomerates on the business side were resolved. So, in a sense, a more democratic culture was established.
But the country didn't have independent power established. The US always supported so that it could continue to operate. And since it's not truly independent, there's some sort of sadness or tragic feel to the nation.
Since the sadness is shared, Japanese culture is a compassionate culture. From defeat, people have found a way to go on positively in daily life.
You’re also in London to launch Art History à la Takashi Murakami at the Gagosian. Tell me a little about that
So the past maybe 15 years or so, I've been referencing a lot of old Japanese paintings, especially from the Edo period. I got to understand the format, the theory and the method of those artworks to make my own.
My most recent works which I'm displaying at the Gagosian are inspired by Disney+ series, Shogun. In that series, people are doing Harakiri and Seppuku – so suicide – maybe once every two episodes. Each time, before they kill themselves, committing to the ritual, they read the death poem that they've prepared.
I was thinking about how that was captured in the show, how it goes beyond their religious teachings and views and spirituality, and how they are trying to grasp an individual human being's freedom with those poems.
And then I started looking at the backdrop of the TV show. I noticed a lot of the artwork painted on the fusuma paper doors and on the folding screens didn't have many human figures on them – much like the old Japanese paintings. I understood, at least in that context, that this is because it's the backdrop for these very human life and death narratives. This made me want to create my own artwork exploring the concept of life and death.
You’ve been very honest about the stressful deadlines of this show on Instagram. Tell me about those posts
With those posts, I'm trying to prevent myself from running away, because every day, all the time, I just want to flee from the studio. It's really difficult and stressful. I don't rely on alcohol or any drugs, I don't have a regular addiction to anything. If anything, I'm addicted to work. So, in order to prevent myself from running away, I put out those posts. I'm trying to surround myself so I don't run away. I'm also appealing to my gallerists because it's business – telling them that yes, I am working. As well as looking back on Japanese history, you've been looking back on your own.
You've been looking back on your own history recently. January will see the re-release of the 2003 Takashi Murakami x Louis Vuitton collection. How did that come about?
Around October last year, I was preparing for my solo exhibition at the Kyoto Kyocera Museum of Art. That opened in the spring of 2024 and we ran out of budget.
I approached Louis Vuitton's president, Pietro Beccari, and asked what he thought of installing a 10-metre high sculpture of Flower Parent and Child outside, and making a pedestal for it from a Louis Vuitton trunk – multicoloured like the result of my collaboration with the brand. Immediately, he said it was fine. So, we got the budget and were able to finish the installation. After that interaction, Pietro brought up the idea of re-visiting the collab. So, the conversation around the re-edition was personal rather than strategic.
Of course, Pharrell is currently overseeing menswear at LV and he's someone you've supported for years. He’s not alone: you also supported the likes of Kanye, J Balvin and Billie Eilish during their come-up. Why should everyone in positions like yours support rising talent?
I don't think I'm supporting anyone, really. It's just that they say they want to collaborate and I say yes, great, let's do it. Because, as I age, I feel like I become more and more distant from the current world, and I think that's very scary. So, whenever young people want to work with me, I'm grateful and I do it.
Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami is at the Gagosian London until 8 March 2025.
The Takashi Murakami x Louis Vuitton re-edition collection launches on 1st January 2025. Subscribe for updates here.
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