School Entrance Ceremony 2022

Takashi Murakami created this print, School Entrance Ceremony, using screenprint and lithograph techniques. Murakami emerged as an artist in Japan during a period of economic stagnation following the collapse of the bubble economy in the 1990s. Murakami's work often explores themes of trauma and fantasy through colorful, cartoon-like imagery. His signature "Superflat" aesthetic blends traditional Japanese art with contemporary pop culture. The smiling flowers, a recurring motif in his work, can be seen as both joyful and unsettling. "I want to see what I'm seeing. I'm trying to see the world through my own eyes" - this quote from Murakami encapsulates his desire to create a unique visual language rooted in his own experiences and observations. The work reflects the complex interplay between tradition and modernity, happiness and anxiety, and the individual and society. It offers a powerful reflection on contemporary culture and the human condition.