Superflat

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The following article contains and discusses content that may be distressing to some readers.
Reason for Warning: This article discusses topics of sexuality, pedophilia and lolicon, especially in the Criticism section. Reader discretion is heavily advised.

Note: This page is about the art movement. For the commercial usage of Superflat, see Superflat Pop.

Superflat (スーパーフラット) is a diverse post-modern art movement founded by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, closely related to Neo-Pop art. Takashi Murakami gave Superflat a loose definition, so its potential is not limited and the movement naturally continues to evolve over time. It is most notably influenced by Japanese pop culture, anime, manga, and the distinctively flat graphics found within these forms of media. All of these certain elements that represent consumerism in Japanese society are mixed with aspects of traditional one, such as Nihonga, blurring the boundaries between low and high art^[1].

History[]

Early Origins[]

Superflat as we know it today began to take shape in the early 1990s, emerging from Takashi Murakami's complex relationship with art and Japanese society, and the connection between modern art and traditional styles. During his childhood, he was encouraged to frequent art exhibitions and learn as much as he could from them by his parents, sometimes receiving punishments. When he was eight years old, he visited a museum with his parents, and one particular artwork profoudly disturbed him: Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya^[2]. This was interpreted as a metaphor for war and trauma, among other personal misfortunes, hence why Superflat art often explores these themes and uses monster-like figures.

Murakami became critical of post-war Japan, as he perceived that ever since World War II ended, Japanese society was becoming increasingly "flat" and "superficial". He saw this as a result of heavy influences from Western popular culture and the rise of Kawaii, as well as anime and manga. In his manifesto, he described "super flatness" as the concept of Japanese people who had been completely westernized, linking the past and the future. This belief stems from the idea that depth and meaning were being sacrificed for commercial appeal and cuteness. Takashi Murakami was overall dissatisfied with contemporary Japanese art and wanted to reject Western influence. He experimented with traditional Nihonga art, and often used elements of social critique and satire in his early artworks.

When Murakami was around thirty years old, his artworks still weren't selling well. He decided to research what made popular culture characters such as Hello Kitty, Mickey Mouse or Miffy so successful. In 1992, he ended up creating a character named "Mr. DOB", an alter ego and cartoon-like figure with wide eyes and a mischievous smile. This character was apparently named after the phrase Dojobite, dojibite (roughly translating to "why, why?") and would later take different appareances and become an icon of Superflat art, representing a mix of shallowness, cuteness, social critique and commercial appeal.

In 1994, Murakami temporarily moved to New York City as he received a fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council and participated in the PS1 International Studio Program. During his stay in the United States, he met various American comtemporary artists such as Anselm Kiefer and Jeff Koons, who inspired him despite his initial rejection towards Western art. When he returned to Japan, he continued to develop his artistic skills and concepts and exhibited in major art centers in Europe and America.

Late 90s-Present[]

From the late 1990s onwards, the ideals of Superflat gained popularity among other Japanese artists and it evolved into a well-defined group. Other notable Superflat artists like Yoshitomo Nara are known for his paintings of doe-eyed children and topics of war and pacifism, and Chiho Aoshima is known for her artworks featuring fantastical and dream-like landscapes, with young girls and mythological creatures. Some artworks such as Nara's Knife Behind Back (1999) or Aoshima's City Glow, Mountain Whisper (2006) exemplify Superflat art's references to childhood innocence and surreal imagery.

During the early 2000s, Murakami began to use the term "Superflat" to refer various flattened forms in Japanese graphic art, animation, pop culture and fine arts, and the shallowness of consumer culture in Japan. In 2000, Murakami curated a groundbreaking exhibition titled "Superflat", featuring a curated collection of works by himself and other artists associated with the movement. This exhibition traveled to museums accross cities in the United States, including West Hollywood, Minneapolis and Seattle. This solidified Superflat's position in the international art scene. Eventually, Superflat art was embraced by American artists as well, with one popular hybrid style being SoFlo Superflat, centered in Florida.

As time progressed, Superflat took a quite different turn from its original intentions. Although the point was to satirize consumerism and pop culture, Superflat's aesthetic often contradicts its own anti-commercial ethos. Merchandise of this art movement has been produced in various forms, including album cover arts and fashion. Artists like Murakami himself and Mr. have collaborated with popular brands such as Louis Vitton, Supreme Skate Decks, Vogue Nippon, Comme des Garçons, Vans, CASIO, ComplexCon, or Billionaire Boys Club, as well as Pharrell Williams and Kanye West's Graduation album^[3]. However, this could also represent the nearly inescapable influence of commerce on contemporary art. This phenomenon is often called Superflat Pop.

Art[]

Visuals[]

The topics explored in Superflat art are broad and diverse, particularly because Murakami didn't want to limit the movement. In fact, Murakami believes some older Japanese paintings from the 17th to 19th centuries count as Superflat, even if its modern understanding was solidified only in the 90s. For starters, some common topics are the rise of consumerism and fetishism that became prevalent in post-war Japanese society. This includes the exploration of sexuality, including otaku culture, nijikon, and lolicon art, viewed through satirical lens and distorted or grotesque imagery^[4]. Other artworks by artists such as Yoshitomo Nara feature a mix of traditional Ukiyo-e with graffiti, exploring the complex realities of growing up.

Visually, most paintings are two-dimensional and use a simplified graphic style. Common motifs include ultraflat graphics, a high-contrast palette, geometric shapes, strong and bold outlines, grotesque elements, body fluids and superficial cuteness. The imagery frequently draws inspiration from popular culture, including anime and manga, frequently using cartoonish figures that can be simultaneously cute and creepy, with large expressive eyes. This aesthetic often juxtaposes child-like innocence with provocative topics, like social commentary, sexual references, lolicon, violent imagery or topics of war and trauma. As contradictory as it seems on the surface, it perfectly combines "high" and "low" cultural references.

Sculpture[]

Although Superflat is mostly associated with visual arts, sculpture is also a significant field among its artists.

Some notable examples of Superflat sculptures and figures include:

Hiropon - Created by Takashi Murakami in 1997, it depicts a woman with exaggeratedly oversized breasts surrounded by a circle of milk.
My Lonesome Cowboy - Created by Takashi Murakami in 1998, it represents an over-sexualized portrayal of a young boy, with exaggerated grotesque elements like body fluids.
V W X Yellow Elephant Underwear, H I J Kiddy Elephant Underwear - Designed by Chinatsu Ban in 2005. It depicts two yellow elephants wearing underwear with a bright pattern of stars and other shapes like elephant heads, circles, and little underpants.
A to Z Memorial Dog - Created by Yoshitomo Nara in 2006, depicting a simplified giant white dog.

Philosophy[]

TBA

Artists[]

Art Leonardi
Aya Takano
Ayako Rokkaku
Charo Vargas
Charuca
Chiho Aoshima
Fantasista Utamaro
Groovisions
Hideyuki Tanaka (Framegraphics)
Hitoshi Tomizawa
Keita Takahashi
Kenji Yamada
Kensuke Sugimoto
Kōji Morimoto
LoulouVZ
Mahomi Kunikata
Mr.
RolitoLand
Sayuri Michima
Sebastian Masuda
Takashi Murakami
Yoshitomo Nara
Yuko Yamaguchi
Yusuke Nakamura

Variants[]

SoFlo Superflat[]

SoFlo Superflat is an urban branch of Superflat that originated in South Florida during the 1990s, most notably in Miami and its graffiti scene. It's considered to be a hybrid style between Japanese Superflat and Neo-Pop art, with Western sensibilities. It's characterized by super bright colours and ultra flat two-dimensional images, along with pronounced chromatic palette and outlines. SoFlo Superflat art encompasses a diverse range of subject matter, from quotidian life to social commentary, presented through a distinctive usage of repetitive images and patterns. Artists whose work is regarded as "SoFlo Superflat" include Britto, Caron Bowman, Raul Cremata, Ceron, Ed King, and José Alvarez.

Gallery[]

Superflat Pop[]

Main article: Superflat Pop

Superflat Pop was coined by the CARI (Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute) to refer to an aesthetic that was prominent in graphic design and popular media from the late 2000s to the early 2010s^[5], showing a more corporate form of the original Superflat art movement. It most notably takes inspiration from Takashi Murakami's bright poppy graphics and cartoonish flowers. It is generally seen in modern cartoons, cover arts, merchandise, video games, advertisements, and fashion. The disturbing topics seen in Superflat works associated with the original art movement are either omitted or virtually non-existent.

Gallery[]

Criticism[]

Superflat has been criticized for romanticizing pedophilia, most notably in the form of lolicon art^[6]. Although this is often done in a satirical manner to criticize fictosexuality (i.e. nijikon) and fetishism in Japanese society, there are always exceptions. Mr. has become a controversial artist as he describes himself as a "lolicon" and asserts his works are a mix of the comforting and the perverse, frequently drawing inspiration from topics like nuclear holocausts, scatology and pedophilia^[7]. One of Mr.'s direct quotes surrounding this sensitive topic was “I’m releasing my fantasy world through my work, instead of acting it out in real life.” However, this controversy escalated from fiction to real life in 2008, when Mr. directed a live-action short film based on his lolicon drawings, titled Nobody Dies. This was considered outrageous because the actors were real underage girls engaging in fetishistic behavior, some as young as 13 years old. Apparently, the movie was exclusively created to be viewed by visitors in art exhibitions and galleries and is now considered to be lost media^[8].

Others criticize the movement for its loose definition, as perspectives on the denounced topics - consumerism, pedophilia, fictosexuality, moe, kawaii and otaku culture, often vary from artist to artist, or the social context of the time. As previously mentioned, it was originally meant to satirize consumerism, but ended up contradicting itself collaborating with notable brands and figures and the production of merchandise.