MCRST, 1962 – 2011 2011

Takashi Murakami made MCRST between 1962 and 2011. I see this overall accumulation of skull motifs as really getting to the heart of artmaking as a process. There's this feeling of being overwhelmed, like being swallowed by the sheer volume of information. The materiality here is so slick and controlled; the surface is smooth, almost like a digital print, but also incredibly lush. Color is laid down in thin layers, creating this candy-coated effect that’s both attractive and unnerving. Look at the way each skull is outlined with such precision, yet filled with a chaotic explosion of color. It reminds me of the work of Yayoi Kusama, who also uses repetition and accumulation to create immersive, almost hallucinatory environments. Ultimately, this piece embraces ambiguity. It asks more questions than it answers, inviting us to confront our own mortality with a sense of humor and curiosity.