2018 is already looking like a bumper year for art lovers in Vancouver – and that’s with the announcement of just one exhibition.
Excitement is already building for the arrival of 55 works by Takashi Murakami, in Canada’s first ever retrospective of the celebrated Japanese pop artist.
Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg, which is set to run Feb. 3 to May 6 at the Vancouver Art Gallery, will span three decades of the artist’s work, including two multi-panel paintings created just for this show.
“We are thrilled to offer Canadian audiences the opportunity to experience a wide range of paintings and sculptures by one of the world’s most influential and visionary artists,” said VAG director Kathleen Bartels in a news release.
“In tracing Takashi Murakami’s development as an artist over the course of three decades, The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg draws attention to some of the major themes and cultural conditions that have shaped his artistic practice. We can’t wait to welcome visitors to this monumental exhibition.”
Murakami works in a range of arts media, including painting, sculpture, animation, fashion and merchandise. He’s famously worked on projects for high-profile brands such as Louis Vuitton, VANS and Issey Miyake and has collaborated with Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.
As a retrospective, The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg explores many of the major themes Murakami has tackled over his career, including the influence of traditional Japanese painting, Buddhist folklore, the media, globalization and nuclear power.
The exhibition is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, where it became the most popular show in the museum’s history during its 100-day run earlier this year, drawing around 200,000 people.
