Zero-One 2016

Takashi Murakami made this artwork, Zero-One, with who knows what. It's a wild garden of blues, like gazing into a digital ocean. The way he layers these flat, poppy-like images, reminds me that artmaking is a process of constant adding and editing, a back-and-forth between intention and accident. Up close, you can see that these smiling flowers are not just cute; there’s a kind of manic energy in their repetition, a flat affect that flirts with something darker. The surface feels almost printed, smooth and seamless, but within each flower are intricate details – tiny skulls and globes– that hint at hidden depths. There’s one flower right in the middle with a wry little smile. It suggests that beauty and chaos can coexist, maybe even need each other. Murakami's work reminds me of Warhol’s screen prints, but with a decidedly Japanese twist. It is not trying to resolve anything but instead revels in the unresolved nature of art.