Mr. approaches the visual language of anime and manga as a means of examining Japanese culture, fusing high and low forms of contemporary expression. Like his fellow Superflat artists, such as Takashi Murakami, Mr. utilizes otaku, the "cute" Japanese subculture that is marked by an obsession with adolescence, manga, anime, and video games. Alongside his interest in otaku is an ...
Mr. approaches the visual language of anime and manga as a means of examining Japanese culture, fusing high and low forms of contemporary expression. Like his fellow Superflat artists, such as Takashi Murakami, Mr. utilizes otaku, the "cute" Japanese subculture that is marked by an obsession with adolescence, manga, anime, and video games. Alongside his interest in otaku is an engagement with the 1960s Italian art movement, Arte Povera. Inspired by these artists’ use of unconventional materials and purposeful amateurism, Mr.’s earliest magna-style paintings and drawings were on store receipts, takeout menus and other scraps of transactional detritus.
Prior to 2010, Mr. often incorporated into his work the hypersexualized portrayal of young women prevalent in otaku. Known in Japan as lolicon, a portmanteau of “Lolita Complex,” this word has come to refer to the otaku preference for graphic anime images of young girls. However, in the years since the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor meltdown in Tohoku, Japan, Mr. has paired the cute characters, bright colors, and clean finishes characteristic of his work with a gritty and abstract painting style reminiscent of his early Arte Povera-inspired work, through which he explores themes of destruction. In his exhibition with Lehmann Maupin in 2012 and at the Seattle Art Museum in 2015, Mr. presented a large-scale, immersive installation of garbage and everyday objects from Japanese life, standing as a reminder of the debris that blanketed Tohoku in the aftermath of the 2011 disaster. Viewers were invited to physically interact with the work, getting a glimpse into the psychological state of Japan while remaining alien to the experience. Since then, Mr. has extended this sentiment into his paintings, trampling, tearing and burning his canvases to give his surfaces a distressed, textured quality, often at odds with the innocence of the bright-eyed cartoon figures he paints on top. In what meta-commentary on the Orientalist lens through which western viewers typically receive his work, Mr.'s 2018 solo show with Perrotin was titled, "People misunderstand me and the contents of my paintings. They just think they are nostalgic, cute, and look like Japanese anime. That may be true, but really, I paint daily in order to escape the devil that haunts my soul. The said devil also resides in my blood, and I cannot escape from it no matter how I wish. So I paint in resignation."
Mr. graduated from the Department of Fine Arts, Sokei Art School in Tokyo in 1996. Solo exhibitions of his work have been organized at the Seattle Art Museum in Washington and the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon in France. Select group exhibitions featuring his work include the Animamix Biennale 2015-2016 at the Daegu Art Museum in South Korea (2015-16), "Kyoto-Tokyo: From Samurais to Mangas" at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco (2010), and "Animate" at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan (2009). Mr.'s work is in numerous international public and private collections, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Daegu Art Museum in South Korea.
Courtesy of Lehmann Maupin
Mr. approaches the visual language of anime and manga as a means of examining Japanese culture, fusing high and low forms of contemporary expression. Like his fellow Superflat artists, such as Takashi Murakami, Mr. utilizes otaku, the "cute" Japanese subculture that is marked by an obsession with adolescence, manga, anime, and video games. Alongside his interest in otaku is an ...
Mr. approaches the visual language of anime and manga as a means of examining Japanese culture, fusing high and low forms of contemporary expression. Like his fellow Superflat artists, such as Takashi Murakami, Mr. utilizes otaku, the "cute" Japanese subculture that is marked by an obsession with adolescence, manga, anime, and video games. Alongside his interest in otaku is an engagement with the 1960s Italian art movement, Arte Povera. Inspired by these artists’ use of unconventional materials and purposeful amateurism, Mr.’s earliest magna-style paintings and drawings were on store receipts, takeout menus and other scraps of transactional detritus.
Prior to 2010, Mr. often incorporated into his work the hypersexualized portrayal of young women prevalent in otaku. Known in Japan as lolicon, a portmanteau of “Lolita Complex,” this word has come to refer to the otaku preference for graphic anime images of young girls. However, in the years since the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor meltdown in Tohoku, Japan, Mr. has paired the cute characters, bright colors, and clean finishes characteristic of his work with a gritty and abstract painting style reminiscent of his early Arte Povera-inspired work, through which he explores themes of destruction. In his exhibition with Lehmann Maupin in 2012 and at the Seattle Art Museum in 2015, Mr. presented a large-scale, immersive installation of garbage and everyday objects from Japanese life, standing as a reminder of the debris that blanketed Tohoku in the aftermath of the 2011 disaster. Viewers were invited to physically interact with the work, getting a glimpse into the psychological state of Japan while remaining alien to the experience. Since then, Mr. has extended this sentiment into his paintings, trampling, tearing and burning his canvases to give his surfaces a distressed, textured quality, often at odds with the innocence of the bright-eyed cartoon figures he paints on top. In what meta-commentary on the Orientalist lens through which western viewers typically receive his work, Mr.'s 2018 solo show with Perrotin was titled, "People misunderstand me and the contents of my paintings. They just think they are nostalgic, cute, and look like Japanese anime. That may be true, but really, I paint daily in order to escape the devil that haunts my soul. The said devil also resides in my blood, and I cannot escape from it no matter how I wish. So I paint in resignation."
Mr. graduated from the Department of Fine Arts, Sokei Art School in Tokyo in 1996. Solo exhibitions of his work have been organized at the Seattle Art Museum in Washington and the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon in France. Select group exhibitions featuring his work include the Animamix Biennale 2015-2016 at the Daegu Art Museum in South Korea (2015-16), "Kyoto-Tokyo: From Samurais to Mangas" at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco (2010), and "Animate" at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan (2009). Mr.'s work is in numerous international public and private collections, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Daegu Art Museum in South Korea.
Courtesy of Lehmann Maupin
Published by Perrotin and Lehmann Maupin
advisor@artspace.com
Now, personalize your account so you can discover more art you'll love.
PERSONALIZE YOUR ACCOUNTa treasure trove of fine art from the world's most renowned artists, galleries, museums and cultural institutions. We offer exclusive works you can't find anywhere else.
through exclusive content featuring art news, collecting guides, and interviews with artists, dealers, collectors, curators and influencers.
authentic artworks from across the globe. Collecting with us means you're helping to sustain creative culture and supporting organizations that are making the world a better place.
with our art advisors for buying advice or to help you find the art that's perfect for you. We have the resources to find works that suit your needs.
Artspace offers you authentic, exclusive works from world-renowned artists, galleries, museums and cultural institutions. Collecting with us helps support creative culture while bringing you art news, interviews and access to global art resources.
COLLECT FROM 300+ GALLERIES & MUSEUMS
Tailor your art, news & information to your preferences.
View Preference CenterWelcome to the world's premier online marketplace for fine art.
Enjoy 10% on your next purchase by using coupon code WELCOME10 at checkout.
The world's premier online marketplace for fine art.
Enjoy 10% on your next purchase by using coupon code PHAIDON10 at checkout.
Mr.
Live On
Thank you for sharing with your friends.
Your preferences have been saved
to your account. Update them at any time
in your Preference Center
For first-time buyers and avid collectors alike, a personal Artspace Art Advisor can assist you in learning about, discovering and falling in love with an artwork.
Collector Services will contact you within two business days.
To place a bid, enter the maximum amount you are willing to pay for the work. Artspace will accept a bid at the next increment, and save any excess amount as a maximum bid. If you are outbid, we will continue bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid.
Bidding increments increase at the following intervals:
You will receive an email confirmation of your bid and when you are outbid.
If you are the winning bidder, you will be contacted 48 hours after of the close of the auction.
Every bid submitted is treated as a maximum bid. You should always bid the maximum you are willing to spend for a work, though this does not necessarily mean you will pay that price. As the auction unfolds, we will increase your bid by increments to ensure you remain the highest bidder. If the winning amount is less than your maximum bid, you will pay the current increment. If your maximum bid no longer exceeds the current bid, you will receive an outbid notification email, and have the option to bid again.
In the case of multiple bidders placing the same maximum bid, the first person to place the maximum amount takes precedence as the highest bid until another bidder exceeds the maximum amount.
For Artspace Auctions winning bidders are charged a 15% Buyer's Premium on top of the hammer price. For Artspace Benefit Auctions, Buyer's Premiums are not applied. If they are, this will be clearly noted. Purchases made from all auctions, including benefit auctions, are subject to sales tax.
Winning bidders will be contacted within 48 hours to arrange shipping and to provide final price including commission, shipping, and taxes and duties when applicable. Promotion codes cannot be applied to auction works.
All our frames are manufactured in the USA, using eco-friendly & sustainably sourced engineered hardwood for durability and a uniform finish that is free of defects. Frames are available in Black or White Satin and Honey Pecan.
All prints are hinged to a conservation quality, acid-free and lignin-free Alpha Cellulose matboard, using an acid-free linen tape. The mat's surface paper is fade and bleed resistant and is attached to a conservation quality foam-core mounting board that will keep the work safe from deterioration over time. Artworks with a deckled or decorative edges will be floated on the matboard, with acrylic spacers to separate the art from the glazing. All mounting is fully reversible, without any potential damage to the art.
All of our frames come with picture quality .090 mm plexiglass, which blocks 66% of UV to prevent color fading from exposure to light, keeping your art protected for years to come. It is now considered the industry standard for artists, museums and galleries throughout the world.
For images up to 30" x 40"
For sheet sizes larger than 30” x 40”