Oval

Artist Takashi Murakami (Japanese, born 1962)

Publisher Manufactured by CUBE Company, Ltd., Tokyo

Place of OriginJapan

Date2000

DimensionsOverall: 10 1/2 x 15 3/4 in. (26.7 x 40 cm)

MediumMolded plastic and rubber with CD.

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of David W. Steadman in honor of the Norton Family

Object number

2001.11

Not on View

DescriptionThis is a small figure, made from brightly colored, molded plastic and rubber. The figure sits in a lotus position, reminiscent of a Buddha, atop a ball of flowers. The ball separates into two parts and inside it is a compact disk that plays music by ZakYumiko, a popular Japanese duo. The ball rests (and spins) on a biomorphic shaped base. The figure's head has several faces and many eyes. This is a small figure, made from brightly colored, molded plastic and rubber. The figure sits in a lotus position, reminiscent of a Buddha, atop a ball of flowers. The ball separates into two parts and inside it is a compact disk that plays music by ZakYumiko, a popular Japanese duo. The ball rests (and spins) on a biomorphic shaped base. The figure's head has several faces and many eyes.

Label TextTakashi Murakami is the best known member of a generation of Japanese Pop artists who emerged in the 1990s. This project features a cartoon-like character called Oval, a meditating figure loosely based on a Japanese Buddha sculpture. He sits atop a “cosmos ball,” which is Murakami’s name for the sphere covered with smiling flowers. The ball holds a CD with music composed and performed especially for this project by the Tokyo-based duo ZacYumiko.Published Referencescf. Studio website: www.hirpon-factory.com cf. "The Gift that Might Start Giving," Wall Street Journal, December 22, 2000, p. W8. cf. My Reality: Contemporary Art and the Culture of Japanese Animation exhibition catalogue (essay by Murakami), Des Moines Art Center and Independent Curators Int., 2000. cf. Guido Molinari, "Takashi Murakami," Flash Art v. 31, no. 199 (March-April 1998), p. 106. cf. David Rimanelli, "Takashi Murakami," Artforum v. 38, no. 3 (November 1999), p. 135. cf. Karin Higa, "Some Thoughts on National and Cultural Identity" Art Journal v. 55 (Fall 1996), p. 6-13.Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, New Acquisitions in Graphic Arts, Dec. 21, 2001-March 30, 2002