Genome No. 10 2009

Takashi Murakami made this artwork, Genome No. 10, using silkscreen print, offset print, and acrylic on canvas. The first thing that hits you is the way he blends high and low. He's throwing these drippy, almost cartoony marks against a backdrop that feels super digital and precise, right? It’s like the painting can’t decide if it wants to be handmade or machine-made. I love the little cosmos lurking near the bottom, it is nested inside this drippy, melting shape – it's like staring into an abyss that's also kind of playful. The dots have this weird moiré thing happening that makes it vibrate, which is like a visual buzz. Murakami is always playing with this tension between the flat, commercial world and something deeper, more cosmic, maybe a little bit sad, like some of Warhol's later work. He invites us to see how those things are always bumping up against each other, for better or worse.