7 Days in the Art World-- THE STUDIO

• On the role of art dealers: "At the end of the day, our business is to sell symptoms articulated as objects."
• interesting factoid: national Japanese ritual of rajio tiso, i.e. 10 minutes of calisthenics at the beginning of the day, beginning in primary school, performed by artist Murakami's painting assistants
• painting assistant with recurring dream of being yelled at: "[Murakami] is always angry. The atmosphere is usually intense." Another assistant, when asked if there was any room or creativity, replied "None at all". I don't understand how they can continue to be creative in this environment? What is the incentive to work under these conditions?
• "Murakami is unusual among artists in acknowledging the collective labor inscribed in his work... The names of the twenty-five people who worked on the piece are written on the back of the canvas... Murakami's desire to help his assistants launch their own careers is unusual. Many artists loathe losing good help and... the appearance of creative isolation is central to their creditibility." I think this is admirable. From the chapter so far, it sounds like Murakami is kind of a jerk, but I can respect the fact that he gives credit where credit is due, and does not take advantage of his assistants at the expense of their own careers.
• In regard to the "Second Mission Project Ko", I find it interesting that Murakami differentiates between editions by experimenting with colors, often changing the race of the female figure from albino to Caucasian to dark-skinned to unearthly jet-black.
• Murakami quote: "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."
• "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." -Murakami
  
• "Sometimes you see all the [artist's work] together-- boom, boom, boom-- and it doesn't make things better." -Schimmel, on cohesiveness in a retrospective gallery exhibit
• Defending the choice to exhibit a controversial artist: "If there is already absolutel consensus, is there is nothing you can do in terms of illumination, why do it?" I think this sums up my opinion on what makes art "art"-- I believe the ability to debate, interpret, and experience is the true measure of value of a piece of art.
• I thought it was impressive the way Marakami was willing to relinquish control of the placement of his "Oval" to the curator Schimmel. I never really thought about the fragile distinction between the creation of the art and the placement of the art, and how the two might collide. Schimmel makes a good point that "the best solo shows come when an artist and curator are connected and highly invested"
• Murakami's referring to his Louis Vuitton work as "his urinal" is interesting, especially in the wake of the recent "IS THIS ART?" flyer campaign at Mason Gross. The line between common objects, art objects, and commercial objects is a very blurry one, and Murakami definitely straddles this line in his work.

I like Sarah Thorton's writing style. I often find myself wondering how she can possibly remember and observe such specific details as she is whisked through these unfamiliar situations: such as the length of Murakami's meeting room table, the "vintage 50's glasses" of their tour guide, the name of the radio station the assistants were listening to. She also seems to resist interpreting everything she sees, letting the reader draw their own conclusions (as when she neutrally points out that 6 out of 7 of Kaikai Kiki's artists are female). The result is an interesting read.



I also found myself very impressed with Murakami's work. Despite the substantial length of the reading, the descriptions of his work were compelling enough that I wanted to do outside research. As the chapter went on, I checked the Internet for images of Mr. DOB in his many incarnations, as well as SMPKo2, Hiropon, and finally Oval Buddha itself. All were very odd, but striking images, obviously influenced by Japanase anime style. I think the way Murakami has embraced his own interested and "geek" aesthetic to create challenging artwork is commendable. The (d)evolution of Mr. DOB from a cutesy Mickey-Mouse character to a huge, multi-eyed vomiting blob feels like a very organic decision. It is as if the artist simply created the character and let him go, allowing him to fall apart into a horrific yet highly marketable monster, and definitely commenting on the all-consuming Japanese cartoon industry. One can easily feel his emotional investment and devotion to the craft. He is also very committed to embracing the commercial aspect of his work, which can be interpreted as a "Warholian" critique of art, or simply a smart business move that allows him to continue his own work. Either way, I think the relentless merchandising of his work is an all-or-nothing move, and if that's what he's chosen to do, it certainly keeps people aware of him as an artist.