Shinji Murakami
Le Coeur, 2017
Shinji Murakami
Shinji Murakami’s work springboards from the philosophy of Gunpei Yokoi, the famous inventor of Nintendo’s Game Boy: Withered Technology – referring to a mature technology that is cheap and well understood; and Lateral Thinking – the finding of radical new ways of using such technology. Le Coeur (The Standard) plays with this relationship. Love is a mature emotion that is cheap and well understood; but today we must find radical new ways to access it within ourselves and share it with others.
While Murakami does not believe that profound human understanding has caught up to the explosive evolution of modern computer technology, he does have faith that humans are capable of love for others. The pixelated expressions of 8-bit video games at the root of his work, which are one withered part of this evolutionary process, speak to our child selves, a time when love was not so hard and we were never afraid to share it with those around us regardless of race or creed. Murakami interrogates lateral thinking of this pixel, and with Le Coeur, he calls upon us to do the same with love.
Shinji Murakami, Kesäyö (Summer Night), 2019 from Raphael Guilbert on Vimeo.
Kesäyö (Summer Night), 2019
laptop computer and easel
130 × 75 × 110 cm
Summer night is the animation of manipulated images sourced from the Google search of the word Kesäyö. The artist has broken down these collected images to a minimal pixel count of 2 to 3 pixels per image.
Inspired by his arrival and stay in Mänttä, Murakami reflects on the openness he finds here. Having grown up playing video games in the 1980s, Murakami remembers the space those simple games allowed for the child’s imagination. Today, the hyperrealist computer games leave little room for a player’s imagination to fill in the digital world. So too, an artist’s mind is constantly bombarded with information in cities like New York, where the artist lives, and Helsinki.
SHINJI MURAKAMI (b. 1980, Osaka, Japan)
Shinji Murakami’s work springboards from the philosophy of Gunpei Yokoi, the famous inventor of Nintendo’s Game Boy, Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology. Withered technology in this context refers to a mature technology that is cheap and well understood; while lateral thinking refers to finding of radical new ways of using such technology. Yokoi held that toys and games do not necessarily require cutting edge technology; novel and fun gameplay are more important. Murakami does not believe that profound human understanding has necessarily caught up to the explosive evolution of modern computer technology, but the pixelated expressions of 8-bit video games at the root of his work are one withered part of this evolutionary process. Murakami interrogates lateral thinking of this pixel.
Working in wood, alkyd paint and LED light, Murakami focuses on communicating his ideas to a wide audience. With the precision of a master craftsman, he renders universal motifs – flowers, puppies, hearts – in minimalism and pop, re-interpreting the aesthetics and context of each genre and reassessing their role within contemporary art. His practice is an ongoing search for simplification, removing more and more unnecessary elements and moving works into more ephemeral formats.
BORN 1980, OSAKA, JAPAN
LIVES AND WORKS IN BROOKLYN, NY
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
- 2024
[Title TBD], Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, Bucharest, Romania (forthcoming)
- 2023
Pizza Boy, Atelier 35 in collaboration with Catinca Tabacaru, Bucharest, Romania
- 2017
Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology, Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, New York
- 2016
};- <3 -;{, Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, New York- 2014
:), Tinca Art | Artion Gallery, New York
- 2004
- snz exhibition, secobar, Tokyo
Final Quest, Graniph Gallery, Kyoto
MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS AND SITE-SPECIFIC WORKS
- 2019
The Berry Eaters, Serlachius Museums, Mänttä, Finland
- 2017
Le Coeur (The Standard), Le Bain, The Standard, New York
- 2014
Jumbo Dumbo Puppy, Dumbo Arts Festival, Brooklyn
- 2012
Game Change, Telfair Museum, Savannah, USA
- 2011
Artists Rescue Team for Japan, Williamsburg Art & History Center, Brooklyn
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
- 2023
HAKKO X, Unknown Harajuku in collaboration with Shibuya Pixel Art, Tokyo, Japan
- 2021
Lucid Dreams, Arcilesi | Homberg, Brooklyn, New York
Pump and Dump, Arcilesi | Homberg, Brooklyn, New York
- 2010
The Berry Eaters, Catinca Tabacaru, CTG Harlem, New York
- 2019
ZWRT, Barbé-Urbain Gallery, Ghent, Belgium
- 2017
Terra Nova, CTG Collective, Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, NY
- 2015
Animals & Imaginations, lorimoto, Brooklyn
The Spoon & Tamago Studio Visits, hpgrp Gallery, New York
- 2014
Gilded, Paul Kasmin, New York
Summer Garden, Onishi Project, New York
Divisionaire, JoAnne Artman Gallery, Laguna Beach, USA
Coming Out To Play, Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, New York
- 2013
Ever Ours, Merrit School of Music, Beethoven Festival, Chicago, USA; curator: Catinca Tabacaru
- 2012
Playing the Game, O’Artoteca, Milan, Italy
Revolution, National Pastime Theater, Beethoven Festival, Chicago, USA; curator: Catinca Tabacaru
Citydrift, The Bogart Salon, Brooklyn
- 2011
We Are One, Camel Art Space, Brooklyn
- 2009
NYAB Turns One, Dumbo Arts Center, Brooklyn
- 2008
Geisai Museum #11, Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo
- 2003
F-Exhibition, Sign Gallery, Tokyo
HAKKO X, Unknown Harajuku in collaboration with Shibuya Pixel Art, Tokyo, Japan
Lucid Dreams, Arcilesi | Homberg, Brooklyn, New York
Pump and Dump, Arcilesi | Homberg, Brooklyn, New York
The Berry Eaters, Catinca Tabacaru, CTG Harlem, New York
ZWRT, Barbé-Urbain Gallery, Ghent, Belgium
Terra Nova, CTG Collective, Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, NY
Animals & Imaginations, lorimoto, Brooklyn
The Spoon & Tamago Studio Visits, hpgrp Gallery, New York
Gilded, Paul Kasmin, New York
Summer Garden, Onishi Project, New York
Divisionaire, JoAnne Artman Gallery, Laguna Beach, USA
Coming Out To Play, Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, New York
Ever Ours, Merrit School of Music, Beethoven Festival, Chicago, USA; curator: Catinca Tabacaru
Playing the Game, O’Artoteca, Milan, Italy
Revolution, National Pastime Theater, Beethoven Festival, Chicago, USA; curator: Catinca Tabacaru
Citydrift, The Bogart Salon, Brooklyn
We Are One, Camel Art Space, Brooklyn
NYAB Turns One, Dumbo Arts Center, Brooklyn
Geisai Museum #11, Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo
F-Exhibition, Sign Gallery, Tokyo
RESIDENCIES
- 2019
CTG-R: Finland, CTG Collective in collaboration with the Serlachius Museum, Mänttä, Finland
PARTNERSHIPS
- 2017-Ongoing
.
Salesforce.com, Global
- 2023
Back to the Classics, sequence MIYASHITA PARK in collaboration with Shibuya Pixel Art, Tokyo, Japan
- 2020
JR Shinjuku Station Project, East Japan Railway Company, Tokyo
- 2018
Out of this world, 5th Avenue Windows, Henri Bendel, New York
- 2017
The Nou Project, Saudi Arabia
- 2016
Salesforce.com, USA
Giorgio Armani Junior, Global Campaign
World Emoji Day, Pepsi Co., New York
- 2014
Collections, Paul Kasmin Shop, New York
Maison 54, New York
.
Salesforce.com, Global
Back to the Classics, sequence MIYASHITA PARK in collaboration with Shibuya Pixel Art, Tokyo, Japan
JR Shinjuku Station Project, East Japan Railway Company, Tokyo
Out of this world, 5th Avenue Windows, Henri Bendel, New York
The Nou Project, Saudi Arabia
Salesforce.com, USA
Giorgio Armani Junior, Global Campaign
World Emoji Day, Pepsi Co., New York
Collections, Paul Kasmin Shop, New York
Maison 54, New York
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA
Shinji Murakami at Atelier 35
Solo exhibition at infamous avant-garde Bucharest space
December 16, 2023 – January 31, 2024