Panda Family 2016

Takashi Murakami made Panda Family, though I don't know when, and I'm not sure what it's made of, maybe enamel and acrylic on canvas? I'm not sure, but I do see layers of colour and form that invite closer inspection. The panda's toothy grin is a rainbow of colours, yet the surface is smooth, maybe machine-made? But then, look at the small pandas clinging to the bigger one, their eyes askew, their limbs a little clumsy, the hand of the artist visible there. I like this combination of the perfect and imperfect. And what's going on at the bottom? A swirling vortex of colourful skulls. Yikes! A bit morbid? Or is it a comment on consumer culture, where cute things are often masking something darker? The gold background shimmers, reflecting light, drawing us in. As an artist, I'm always looking for that spark, that tension. Murakami's work always reminds me a little of Jeff Koons, that interest in the slickness of the surface, but here I think the artist has managed to keep a sense of unease, a hint of the uncanny.