Seven Days in the Art World - Ch6: The Studio Visit

•“It is frowned upon to touch the painting.”

•“Changing the context of an object is, in and of itself, art. It sounds like a put-down, but it’s not.”

•“What makes Takashi’s art great—and also potentially scary—is his honest and completely canny relationship to commercial culture

industries”

•"Everywhere I looked, there was Murakami, not only did we have two magnetic works in the 'Painting from Rauschenberg to Murakami'

exhibition at the Museo Correr, but you could see the Murakami handbags through the window of the Louis Vuitton store, and African

immigrants were selling copies on the street. Collectors were carrying real ones; tourists carried fake. Murakami had taken over."

•“Unlike Warhol’s other artistic heirs, who pull the popular into the realm of art, Murakami flips it and reenters popular culture”

•"To experience Takashi, you have to experience the commercial elements of his work."

•"I change my direction or continue in the same direction by seeing people's reaction. My concentration is how to survive long-term and

how to join with the contemporary feeling... I work by trial and error to be popular."

•"the most important thing for creative people is the sense that they are learning. It's like a video game. They have frustration with my

high expectations, so when they get 'yes' for their work, they feel like they've won a level."

•“A Studio is supposed to be a site of intense contemplation.”

•“A studio isn’t just a place where artists make art, but a platform for negotiation and a stage for performances.”