Kaikai Kiki News 2001

Takashi Murakami made "Kaikai Kiki News", and it's all about flat color and smooth surfaces. The paint is so evenly applied, it almost feels like it was printed, and the making is totally concealed. What I notice is the flowers, each with its little smiley face, crammed together like a crowd. Some are bright, others faded, floating on a gold background. The gold feels traditional, yet the cartoonish characters with kanji symbols, Kaikai and Kiki, feel utterly contemporary. One chomps with jagged teeth, the other smiles serenely; both have those innocent eyes. Murakami walks this line between high and low, tradition and pop, in a way that reminds me of Elizabeth Murray's joyful mashups, but with an almost unsettling edge. Is it happiness or hysteria?