Takashi Murakami Pays Homage to Late Artist Michel Majerus With "Superflat" Artworks

The Michel Majerus Estate in Berlin will soon host a momentous exhibition featuring new artworks by Takashi Murakami. Curated by Tobias Berger, the presentation entitled “Superflat” features large-scale silkscreens by Murakami that are inspired by the pop culture-infused, freehand paintings of the late artist. The artist devoted three years to create the series on show, depicting his longstanding subjects such as flower characters, Kaikai Kiki mascots and the cult Japanese cartoon Doraemon across his sprawling pieces.

Majerus was known for his colorful paintings that feature text and visuals inspired by comic books and advertising. His references included the Super Mario brothers, Lara Croft, General Electric, among many others. The artist gained notoriety in 1999 when he painted the entire façade of the Italian pavilion at the Venice Biennale with a pastiche of iconic artworks under the series titled splash bombs 3 (2002).

Murakami discovered the work of Majerus a few years ago, but became immediately intrigued by the artist “who mixed late ‘80s culture, gaming culture, Japanese pop—everything, but on the surface.” As Murakami expressed: “It is completely dry— opposite to Anselm Kiefer or Gerhard Richter. This is a new freedom in a painting.”

Take a look at the installation views for “Superlfat” in the slideshow above. The exhibition will run from September 12 until February 26, 2022 at the Michel Majerus Estate.

Elsewhere in art, the British Museum recently acquired over 100 rarely seen Hokusai drawings.

Michel Majerus Estate
Knaackstraße 12
Berlin 10405
Germany