On May 11th, the global network of art galleries Gagosian launched an unprecedented Takashi Murakami exhibition titled An Arrow Through History, merging the web3 and physical realms under one roof. The exhibits, comprising RTFKT’s CloneX and the Murakami.Flowers NFTs, sculptures, and hand-drawn canvases will be showcased until September 25th in two locations in New York. There will also be another Murakami exhibition to open soon on the LA grounds.
“Japanese culture originally came from the Eurasian continent, and my concept has been to go beyond from there into the metaverse, shooting through the history of art with a single arrow,” the man of the hour, Takashi Murakami, commented on the exhibition.
Thus, at 976 Madison Avenue, NY, visitors are invited to dive deep into the world of RTFKT’s CloneX NFT collection in the form of drawings and sculptures.
As Murakami explains: “When I work on creative production, I make no distinction between digital and analog. I’m always working in the context of contemporary art, and that context is all about whether I can be involved in events that manage to trigger a cognitive revolution.”
Not far from there, 980 Madison Avenue, another exhibition devoted to the iconic Murakami.Flowers collection is being held. It’s worth noting that some of those colorful Flower paintings come from the artist’s initial designs for his NFTs. Those pixelated 108 flower motifs bring an observer back in time to the nostalgia over Nintendo games.
And, finally, Takashi Murakami’s artworks that have nothing to do with NFTs, gathered into the exhibition dubbed Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow will be on view from May 21 through September 25. This time, LA grounds will be hosting the high-profile event.
Needless to say, the immersive journey to Murakami and RTFKT’s Universe at each exhibition is augmented with cutting-edge VR experiences. The on-site visitors are offered to wear Snapchat Lenses to view AR animations of the artwork and outsides of the buildings.
On top of that, the exclusive VR exhibition is available via the Gagosian official website, of course, not without RTFKT Studios having had a hand in it. When connoisseurs want to purchase an art piece, they can do it in any convenient crypto, as Gagosian accepts BTC, ETH, and USD Coin.
