Takashi Murakami Presents First Solo Exhibition in Dubai

Dubai likes to do things big. Massive skyscrapers, luxury dining, supercars, manmade islands — some of the many features that have come to symbolize the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). To inaugurate its new outpost in Dubai, Perrotin is aptly showcasing one of Japan’s most celebrated contemporary artists, Takashi Murakami, as he makes his solo exhibition debut in the region.

Made in partnership with ICD Brookfield Place, the eponymously titled show presents a wide range of paintings, sculptures and installations from Murakami’s recent explorations, including new work from his Murakami.Flowers series. The exhibition opens with a suite of new iterations of Mr. DOB — the Mickey Mouse-inspired figure first imagined by the artist in 1993, that has become one of Murakami’s unofficial avatars.

A vibrant set of Murakami.Flowers invites visitors further into the space. The hybrid NFT project was inspired by ’70s Japanese video game graphics in mind, where Murakami and his team centered each composition around the key number 108 associated with the Buddhist principle of bonnō, or earthly temptations. Each flower was aptly created using 108 backgrounds, 108 flower colors and 108 fields.

As a contrast to the saturated pixels on the wall, the artist presents the life-like Arhat robot sculpture of himself, which has been a constant exploration for Murakami over the past decade.

The exhibition is currently on view at ICD Brookfield Place in Dubai until January 28, 2023.

For more on art, revisit Mike Kelley’s Kandor series at Hauser & Wirth Hong Kong.

ICD Brookfield Place
312 Al Mustaqbal St
Trade Centre – DIFC
Dubai, United Arab Emirates