The greatest contemporary Japanese artist on show in Bologna: the pop language of the Rising Sun for the first time in the city of Bologna with 40 works and, exclusively in the Louis Vuitton boutique, the unique pieces of LV Heritage, created by the artist in 2003, when he created for the French maison Superflat Monogram, and in 2009 the sequel Superflat First Love.

The exhibition, organized by Contemporary Concept, is part of the official celebrations of the 150th Anniversary of relations between Japan and Italy and also part of the programming of the cultural events of the 2016 Japanese Exhibition.

As part of ART CITY Bologna, on the occasion of ARTE FIERA 2017, an event conceived and set up inside Galleria Cavour, whose Glam project by Luxury Art Center is confirmed as a meeting point between fashion, art, design and avant-garde trends.

The artist has created through the Hiropon Factory, today KaiKai Kiki Co., an extraordinary world steeped in Japanese tradition and pop culture, where he has sublimated the strongest fears of Japanese society, such as the atomic bomb (great bogeyman of his generation) and the tzunami, the latter narrated and exorcised in the Arhat cycle.

A universe, that of Murakami (Tokyo, 1962), in continuous movement between tradition and market, on one side the nihonga (traditional painting) and on the other the world otaku (Japanese subculture), a term with which the Japanese "nerds" are called, dedicated to manga, anime and cosplay disguises.

Murakami is also linked to the world of fashion - his forays with Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Vans, Frisk, Issey Miyake - and music, with William Pharrell and Kanye West, always with the intention of creating a kawaii world (cute and sweet), but only in appearance.

Un universo, quello di Murakami (Tokyo, 1962), in movimento continuo tra tradizione e mercato, da una parte il nihonga (pittura tradizionale) e dall’altro il mondo otaku (subcultura giapponese), termine con il quale vengono chiamati i “nerd” giapponesi, dediti a manga, anime e travestimenti cosplay.

Murakami è anche legato al mondo della moda – famosissime le sue incursioni con Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Vans, Frisk, Issey Miyake – e della musica, con William Pharrell e Kanye West, sempre con l’intento di creare un mondo kawaii (carino e dolce), ma solo all’apparenza.