See ‘Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow’ in Cleveland

Dozens of colorfully robed figures clutch staffs and parchments in a row across the massive canvas. But the Arhats, or Buddhist saints, depicted in the 9-by-32-foot painting look as if they came straight from the pages of a modern Japanese manga. 

The painting, “100 Arhats,” is one of roughly 70 paintings and sculptures in “Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow,” at The Cleveland Museum of Art, May 25 through Sept. 7. It’s a perfect example of Murakami’s trademark tendency to blend traditional Japanese art and themes with more modern ones like anime, manga, kawaii and internet culture. 

“He’s constantly taking ideas from the past and casting them through a contemporary paradigm and finding analogies between the past and the present,” says Emily Liebert, curator of contemporary art at the Cleveland Museum of Art. “So, the work looks intensely contemporary, but the ideas are so informed by history that he knows that you’re always sort of looking at multiple moments.”

While much of Murakami’s work is seemingly cheerful with smiling cartoon flowers, vivid colors and his now-iconic Mickey Mouse-like character, Mr. DOB, the pieces in this exhibit were made as an escapist response to the trauma of three historical events: the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II; the devastating 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident; and the COVID-19 pandemic. Works featuring Mr. DOB reflect this through his wildly differing expressions. 

“Tan Tan Bo, a.k.a. Gerotan Scorched by the Blaze in the Purgatory of Knowledge” by Takashi Murakami (Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., LTD. All rights reserved.)

“Mr. DOB, who is considered the alter ego of Murakami, has these intense transformations that result from extreme emotions,” Liebert says. “And critics have interpreted the transformation of the character as a metaphor for society in response to trauma.”

Another way Murakami links the past to the present is through a life-size reproduction of Japan’s Yumedono, or Hall of Dreams, an octagonal monument to Shōtoku Taishi, an important figure in Japanese history, religion and culture who is believed to have the power to relieve suffering. Visitors to the exhibit can walk inside Murakami’s re-creation of the building in the Cleveland Museum of Art’s soaring atrium to view four new paintings inspired by the city of Kyoto before entering the main part of the exhibit.

“I think visitors to this show will have a chance to explore how — after shared historical events [and] trauma — art can address crisis, healing and outreach through escapist fantasy,” Liebert says. 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland 44106, 216/421-7350, clevelandart.org

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