Murakami Visit at Brooklyn Museum

            On Saturday, June 14th, 2008 I visited Brooklyn Museum.  When I got off the train, I saw a gigantic building with sculptures on it next to a lush Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.  I was not sure what to expect.  The Murakami show, I believed would present Anime that I was familiar with.  I first saw a humungous statue of a cartoon demon with over 10 arms surrounded by four white ball-like creatures known as Reversed Double Helix.  It did not look like anything anime that I was used to.  As I entered the exhibit, I saw what anime and Japanese art came from.

            There are many different objects displayed in the exhibit.  At the entrance, I saw a female machine with long wings transform into an air plane in three poses.  It kind of reminded me of Ghost in the Shell.  She was hardly wearing any clothes.  To me, it seemed more of a hentai art.  Another hentai art was Milk and Honey display.  There were two people, a naked boy and girl with sperm squirting out like some fountain.  It was definitely not for kids.  I was surprised that there were no child forbidden signs.  A lot of the art was based on the anime Kai Kai & Ki Ki.  In the movie room, the exhibit played 6 episodes of Kai Kai & Ki Ki.  I only saw the first episode and it was high quality, funny, and entertaining.  I saw surprised that I did not encounter this anime earlier.  It is definitely extraordinary. A lot of strange bunny-like monsters were displayed and doll size figures of characters from Kai Kai & Ki Ki.  Some of the monsters had several eyes and mushroom like bodies.  On the wall littered a host of different styles of eyes.  I also saw two naked aliens called Inochi.  They don’t look anything familiar.

            I believe that there were multiple themes in the exhibit.  The first and foremost is children’s fun and games.  Kai Kai & Ki Ki is a children’s anime and much of the artwork were geared toward kids.  It is very flashy and fun to watch.  The ko2 series covers a more futuristic view of the merging between man and machine.  The fact that she is in human form and transforms into an air plane results in a more Sci-fi appeal.  Another display was Inochi.  Inochi is Takashi’s version of Steven Spielberg’s movie AI.  Hirpon and My Lonesome Cowboy are more like hentai then kids appeal or Sci-fi. 

            The difference I learned from seeing the exhibit is that I see supreme awe-inspiring visuals.  If I were to read about it, I would get a lot of description but would take a time to imagine the visuals.  A picture is worth a thousand words and in this exhibit there is much to appreciate and observe.  Seeing the colossal Reversed double Helix changed how I viewed Japanese Art.  It looks futuristic, organic, and scary.  Seeing a cartoon pet-like monument is cool.  I have never seen anything like it in Japanese Anime.  The closest I have seen to the Reversed Double Helix is Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke.  The spirits of the forest and the Forest Spirit and No Face from Spirited Away look like similar to Reversed Double Helix.

            I found the exhibit to be very informative.  There is more to Japanese Art then traditional anime.  I used to think that Anime was all more or less mecha and futuristic.  But seeing the cutesy Kai Kai & Ki Ki and all the monsters I see more then I would have expected.  There are a lot of different flavors of anime and the Murakami Show portrayed a style of anime that is not seen often. 

            I have a few suggestions for improvement.  First, there is too much emphasis on Kai Kai & Ki Ki.  Perhaps they broadened the showcase more.  Almost everything I saw there were variations of the two central characters Kai Kai & Ki Ki.  After seeing a few portaits I felt like I had seen it all.  Second, I would like to see how Murakami came up with these monsters and bunny-like characters.  Perhaps a part should be dedicated to the thought process behind the art.  Third, Tickets should be for the whole Museum and not simply isolated to just the Murakami Exhibit.  I would have liked to see other exhibits to compare and contrast but I only had a ticket for Murakami show.  Fourth, they should put a kids zone and an adult.  A lot of families come to the exhibit with their children and seeing a naked women transform into a plane and a male and female squirting out semen does not fit the child appropriate level.  Fifth, while watching the videos, there should also be manga to read.  I know Murakami must have done some manga and it would be interesting to see how to treats the medium and expresses his understanding.

            Overall, I had a good time at the exhibit.  I saw Japanese art I was not accustomed to.  I felt there was too much emphasis on Kai Kai & Ki Ki.  They did not sell manga or anime at the exhibit of Kai Kai & Ki Ki only toys and bags.  Reversed Double Helix was quite majestic and tremendous.  I found it to be very informative.  Anime is not only humans but creatures good and bad.   Murakami is an interesting artist and he draws on his art fantasy and future.