Known for his super vibrant Neo-Pop artwork, Takashi Murakami is pushing the boundaries of high and low culture. While Western art tends to prioritize having an artistic hierarchy of high and low art, Murakami questions this separation and makes art that transcends those boundaries. By commercializing his art and collaborating with brands like Louise Vuitton and OFF WHITE, he makes his art more available and accessible, involving his audience directly into his art movement. However, this move is controversial as Murakami has faced a lot of backlash for “selling out” to capitalism, while others praise him for moving beyond the spirit of elitism that prevails in the art community. This debate is particularly interesting to me because we have talked a lot about different artists in our class that either fit into one of those categories of high or low art or both/neither. His work also reminded me of dada art which often is provoking and resisted mainstream ideas. What are your thoughts on his artwork and about the blurring of lines between “high” and “low” art?
