Gagosian is gearing up to host a new solo exhibition of never-before-seen work by acclaimed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami at two of its New York galleries. An Arrow through History is a three-part presentation of paintings and sculptures inspired by an ancient Yuan Dynasty vase and the artist’s own NFT initiatives.
Housed at the gallery’s 976 and 980 Madison Avenue locations, this is Murakami’s first solo exhibition at Gagosian New York since 2014. As the artist has recently spearheaded a number of NFT projects, the work on display seeks to bridge his art in digital and physical realms and will be augmented by experiential virtual components.
At 976 Madison Avenue, Murakami presents a suite of paintings and sculptures based on the CloneX NFT initiative (2021). Made in conjunction with RTFKT Studios, the series consists of 20,000 unique NFT avatars designed by both the artist, along with the various assets received by buyers. Similarly, on the fifth floor of 980 Madison Avenue, Murakami is showcasing new paintings and sculptures that continue the topics explored in his Murakami.Flowers NFT project (2021–22), where the colors and super-flat aesthetic hark to pixelated graphics from 1980s video games.
Further onto the sixth floor of 980 Madison Avenue, the artist presents new circular paintings inspired by a fish motif on a Qinghua blue-and-white porcelain vase that dates from China’s Yuan dynasty (c. 1279–1368) and by Murakami’s childhood memories of riverside journeys with his father, during which he observed anglers fishing for carp.
In a statement on the show, Murakami notes that “Japanese culture originally came from the Eurasian continent, and my concept has been to go beyond from there into the metaverse, shooting through the history of art with a single arrow.” An Arrow through History will go on view at Gagosian New York from May 11 to June 25, 2022.
In related news, Jan Kaláb’s multi-paneled paintings imbue a sense of hope.
Gagosian
976 and 980 Madison Avenue,
New York, NY 10075
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