Japan’s Exploding Subculture!!
Posted on 02. Nov, 2007 by themaker in Travel/Culture
Murakami Takahashi’s “Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture” is far and away the most inspirational book I have read to date on Japan’s contemporary art scene. I read this book from the point of view of someone who is curious about Japanese subculture. This book is full of anime, and manga imagery from many important Japanese graphic artists. Also it explores Murakami’s theory of how the “Little Boy”, nickname for the Atomic Bomb, has influenced post-war Japanese society and it’s identity or lack thereof. Additionally it shades light on Japan’s obsession with the “kawii”, the cute complex – very interesting.
Many people compare his use of “low” and “high” art to Andy Warhol. I think this a fair comparison as they both turned their backs on western avant-garde art and have gone in their own directions. As well, for me this book and his works signal a possible new vantage point to approach my own work with illectric Sheep.
I hear some critics talk negatively about Murakami’s mixture of eclectic art but in my opinion if anything he is contributing and opening peoples minds within Japan and internationally. What more can we do but take our lemons and turn them into honesty or in Murakami’s case, art. Anyway, a recommended read for sure.
One of the most beautifully-designed and edgiest book ever issued by the Japan Society in New York. At the same time, it is the most significant. That the bilingual “Little Boy” catalogue is so stunningly beautiful and up-to-the minute reflects the fact that it was edited and produced in Japan by the graphics artists driving the trends it documents. The art it examines is, as Alexandra Monroe of the Japan Society puts it, “a superflat cartoon imagery of exploding mushroom clouds, fantastic mutant monsters, and baby-faced cyborg heroines.” This art bears some resemblance to that of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, but even the art of these two icons cannot begin to hint at the revolution in graphic design that has occurred in Japan. Nor can their art prepare us for the revolution of meaning that this graphic art has assumed for the Japanese of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
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