Takashi Murakami's Pop-infused art portrays Japan's contemporary culture as a hyper-consumer realm that appears so familiar to Americans and yet is steeped in ancient traditions. His all-too-cute work, which ranges from paintings and sculptures to watches and do-it yourself kits, challenges the distinctions between fine and hobby art. His work so perfectly mimics consumer obsessions that it embodies all the ambiguities and contradictions inherent in those tropes. But, as Murakami has stated, he is less interested in revealing media strategies than are other artists of his generation. With his uncanny ability to mirror his culture he is more the Japanese equivalent of Andy Warhol that someone intent on critiquing things. A. Cruz, ‘DOB in the land of OTAKU' in takashi murakami – the meaning of the nonsense of the meaning, Hong Kong, 2000, p. 14)
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.