We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience. If you continue to browse, you accept the use of cookies on our site. See our Privacy Policy for more information.

What's New

Japan Cultural Expo 2.0 delivers a captivating event with guest speaker Takashi Murakami at the V&A South Kensington

December 9, 2024

Takashi Murakami and Sam Thorne, Director General & CEO of Japan House London,
in conversation at the V&A South Kensington as part of Japan Cultural Expo 2.0 on 8 December 2024

Yesterday evening in London, Japan Cultural Expo 2.0 delivered a captivating event with guest speaker Takashi Murakami at the V&A South Kensington. The renowned artist was greeted by a packed audience at the Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington, on Sunday, December 8, as he took to the stage for a lively discussion with Sam Thorne, Director General & CEO of Japan House London. Organised and hosted by the V&A in association with Japan Cultural Expo 2.0, the event, which was also live-streamed, offered attendees a fresh and engaging exploration of Murakami’s creative journey and his deep connection to both traditional return to London, where he held a landmark solo show in 2002 at the Serpentine Gallery.

The artist shared personal anecdotes and reflections on his career, recounting some of his earliest encounters with art and culture. Throughout the conversation, Murakami explained how these formative experiences influenced his artistic practice.

Speaking about the influence of traditional Japanese art on his work, Murakami said, “As my career progressed, I discovered how art in Japan has always been intertwined with a sense of awe for nature, and I started to draw more inspiration from historical Japanese art. (...) For my recent exhibition in Kyoto, I drew inspiration from the city during the Edō period, working with historical paintings and themes. In that era, art often served as a backdrop to enhance one’s environment."

Thorne said: “For four decades now, Murakami-san’s work has spanned painting, sculpture and installation, while also expanding into the worlds of video, fashion, and so much else. It draws on the worlds of anime, sci-fi and pop art, as well as the world of traditional Japanese art history. [...] In that sense, to know Murakami’s work is to trace the very history of Japanese art.”

The talk was attended by a diverse audience of art enthusiasts and prominent cultural figures, including H.E. Mr. Hiroshi Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan to the UK.

The evening concluded with a wine reception in the V&A’s Painting Galleries where attendees had the chance to take photos with Murakami.

The event is part of Japan Cultural Expo 2.0, an initiative of the government of Japan to promote Japanese arts and culture around the world, which encourages global audiences to engage with Japan's vibrant cultural landscape through a cultural programme including exhibitions and talks. Drawing inspiration from Japan Cultural Expo 2.0’s concept The Beauty and Spirit of Japan, the event provided a unique opportunity to appreciate the depth and beauty of Japanese tradition and creativity.

About the V&A

The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance with collections unrivalled in their scope and diversity, spanning 5000 years of human creativity. It was established in 1852 to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Today, its purpose is to champion creative industry, inspire the next generation, and spark everyone’s imagination.

About Takashi Murakami

Born in Tokyo in 1962, Murakami became the first student to earn a PhD in Nihonga from the Tokyo University of Fine Arts in 1993. In 2000, he proposed Superflat, a concept/theory of contemporary visual culture that connects traditional Japanese art with the flatness of anime and manga while also referring to the state of Japanese society.
His interdisciplinary practice draws inspiration from traditional Japanese painting including artists such as Soga Shōhaku and Ogata Kōrin and, in 2012, he created a 100-metre-long painting, “The 500 Arhats". In 2024, he held “Takashi Murakami Mononoke Kyoto”, his first solo exhibition in Japan in eight years, at Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, presenting new works based on historical Japanese art.

Installation view of "Takashi Murakami Mononoke Kyoto", Kyoto, Japan
Photo: Joshua White
©2024 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

About Sam Thorne

Sam Thorne is Director General & CEO of Japan House London. He is a curator and writer committed to education, experimentation and exchange. As a museum director, Sam was most recently director of Nottingham Contemporary, where he oversaw more than 30 exhibitions; prior to that he was artistic director of Tate St Ives and, he was associate editor of frieze magazine, was a co-founder of Open School East, a free-to-attend independent studies programme, and is the author of the book School (2017). Sam has taught and lectured widely at universities and art schools, and written numerous catalogue essays and articles. He grew up visiting Japan regularly with his Japanese-speaking mother.