Art Weekend in Little Tokyo

Life is Art. Art is Life.

Art = Life

Or at least that was written on the Board of Truth in a previous life of mine, because I think that I would add this little bit to the equation...

Art <=> Life <=> Love <=> Food <=> Art

MS and I love to explore our creative spirits, which includes going to see cool art exhibits around the city. We've ventured into small galleries in Culver City, West LA, Silverlake and Echo Park to view emerging urban artists from Los Angeles. (Not to mention that it's usually FREE to view them too!)

So last Saturday, we stopped into Little Tokyo to get our dose of cultural stimuli for the weekend. Our first visit was to the Japanese American National Museum to visit the Giant Robot exhibition that's currently on view until January 2008.

"In celebration of its 50th issue and in collaboration with the Japanese American National Museum, the pop-culture magazine Giant Robot has assembled works by ten cutting-edge artists from around the country in Giant Robot Biennale: 50 Issues.

This exhibition is the first in the National Museum's Salon Pop series that includes collaborative displays that focus on Asian American pop culture."

We were lucky to visit JANM on Target's special museum day so admission was free on Saturday. We were also able to walk in to the exhibition space without much wait and without a crowd.

The exhibit itself was an interesting medley of modern Asian American themed art - from Sanrio-laden pinks and doe-eyed characters to scary ceramic netsuke masks of Japanese demons. There's also an interactive computer generated photo guestbook to mark that you've been there, but I passed on digitizing my face while MS struck a pose in front of the camera.

We also walked over to the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA to check out the Murakami installation. With its member opening a couple weeks ago, there was quite a line queued to buy tickets for this popular exhibit.

With my member tickets in hand, we were able to bypass the long line outside and were given VIP treatment along with silver MOCA member entry stickers. Thankfully, I kept all my free MOCA tickets from the early to mid-1990s - Mom gave me a bunch from when her company sponsored a wing at MOCA. (THANKS MOM!)

Inside, I was immediately reminded of the Ecstasy exhibit from last year, with Murakami's huge walled mural and other pieces that seemed to fit with the theme of altered states of consciousness and realities.

Here's what MOCA Chief Curator Paul Schimmel with Project Coordinator Mika Yoshitake has to write:

"One of the most internationally acclaimed artists to emerge from Asia in the postwar era, Takashi Murakami effortlessly navigates between the worlds of fine art and popular culture and is best known for his cartoon-like, “superflat” style.

This major traveling retrospective includes key selections spanning the artist’s career, from the early 1990s to the present. More than 90 works in various media—painting, sculpture, installation, and film—are installed in five sections, occupying over 35,000 square feet of exhibition space.

The first portion features many of Murakami’s acclaimed large-scale otaku-inspired sculptural figures from the late 1990s. The second section comprises a grid-like shelving display of Murakami’s merchandise. A fully operational Louis Vuitton boutique, showcasing the artist’s collaboration with the designer brand, is on the mezzanine level. The largest portion of the exhibition traces Murakami’s artistic development, including early works that engage branding and the evolution of his signature character, DOB. Of particular importance, is the debut of Oval Buddha, an enormous self-portrait sculpture in the guise of a Buddha, and the premiere of part one of the artist’s first major animated film, kaikai & kiki."

Murakami creates a fantastic world of manga, exhibition, and consumption through a variety of visual media. From wallpaper and LV merchandise, to three-dimensional characters, and to the animated screen, his work is full of color and the nontraditional. His pieces elicit mixed reactions as to whether or not to classify his work as "art" - but art, as in beauty and everything in life that is subjective, is in the eye of the beholder.

With adult themes and adult depictions, I would have to say that this exhibit is not for young children or the innocent. But the fact remains: Through this exhibit, you can follow the evolution of his artistic styles, you can see a wide range of talent from such a creative individual, and you can experience the great interest and popularity of his work.

Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Giant Robot Exhibit until Jan 13, 2007
www.janm.org

Museum of Contemporary Art - The Geffen at MOCA
Street: 152 North Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Murakami Exhibit until Feb 11, 2008
www.moca.org/murakami