Earlier this year, the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami was in Singapore to launch the MP-15 with Swiss luxury brand Hublot. It was Hublot’s first limited-edition timepiece with a central flying tourbillon, cased entirely in see-through sapphire crystal in the shape of Murakami’s famous Flower character. Now, the two are adding a vital aspect of the artist’s visual oeuvre to the collaboration: colour. Enter the MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Sapphire Rainbow, a 20-piece edition that’s a veritable eye-catcher with colourful gemstones set into the petals of the case.
Takashi Murakami, you’re famous for your rainbow Flowers. What does colour mean to you?
Basically, my profession is colouring. It’s a technical thing, like a musician making sounds.
You were one of the first to blur the boundaries of commerce and art with brand collaborations. Do you consider your creations with Hublot part of your art practice?
It’s a completely different mood now than 20 years ago. The art world was more serious, that’s why it was a controversy then. But I am a Japanese artist and Japanese art is not just focused on fine art because fine art came from the West. That’s why when we say that art is art, it means a link with design and craft. Everything is seamless. So for me, I can say that this is my creativity—one of them. But I don’t know what’s going on with the art world or what the critics say. They have some struggles in their heads, but the audience already understands this creativity.
Are a lot of the art world people a bit slow to the game, then?
I don’t know, but recently after the pandemic, I never meet with the kind of serious art critic people.
Do you feel happier that you haven’t met with them?
Oh, I don’t know.
You had a major exhibition in Kyoto recently, your first in Japan in about eight years. How did that go?
That show was my final one in a Japanese museum, I think. Because it’s so far away from my ideas and the Japanese museums’ concept, it’s a big struggle with the museum industry people. It’s mostly America and Europe where the communication is very smooth.
This new MP-15 Tourbillon Sapphire Rainbow introduces colour to transparency. How do you feel about it?
One of my goals is transparency because it can make an audience imagine and understand the idea of colour. It’s a kind of infinity. But at the same time a much more expensive production cost. It’s kind of like Hublot was asking the market and the transparency got a good reaction. That’s why maybe we’ve come to this very glamorous diamond stuff now.
What do you like most about it?
It fits with a night dinner or some night party environment. The transparency thing is very creative and fantastic.
You’ve said in interviews before that not all your work is happy and colourful. There is some darkness too.
I combine cute and scary at the same time when I create the pieces. For example in ‘The 500 Arhats’ painting [a monumental, 100m-long work with themes of religion, mortality and mythology], there are a lot of funny characters. Children can find that and say “hey dad, there’s a smiling, crazy character here”.
On that note, what makes you happy these days?
Eating sushi. But I’m constantly waking up at 3am or 4am right now. It’s very quiet and I drink water or make coffee. That moment in front of the desk… I’m not happy, but my feeling is that I am here a hundred percent.
What are you thinking about in those moments?
Every time it’s deadlines. This morning, also. Like “Ah, the deadline is three days later. Oh, my God.”
So that much has never changed.
[Shrugs.]
It’s been three years since you started collaborating with Hublot. What have you learnt or taken away from the experience?
I was very impressed in Qatar, when Hublot had a big beach party for the [FIFA] World Cup. Footballers, tennis players, runners and many athletes from around the world. Hublot is very good at making a nice party, so that was a lot of learning. But a very early moment was when I visited the factory in Switzerland. The factory is amazing, it has so much computerisation. And now Hublot is making a new factory next door, much bigger and more upscale. So, learning about the craftsmanship from the company.
But also having a good time at a party?
[Laughs.] Yeah.
Vogue Singapore’s December ‘Gratification’ issue will be out on newsstands from 9 December and available to preorder online.
