Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture

The Japan Society in NYC has an going on right now called “Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture”–curated by Takashi Murakami (you have probably seen his work for Louis Vuitton, drawing on handbags,etc). The exhibit sounds absoloutly amazing, exploring the culture of postward Japan through its art and popular visual media, from the perspective of Murakami himself–one of Japan’s most celebrated artists. “Focusing on the phenomenally influential subcultures of otaku (roughly translated as “pop cult fanaticism”) and its relationships to Japan’s artistic vanguard, Takashi Murakami explores the historical influences that shape Japanese contemporary art and its distinct graphic idioms. The exhibition’s title, Little Boy, refers to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, clearly locating the birth of these new cultural forms in the trauma and generational aftershock.” It runs through July 24th, so be sure to check it out if you’re in the area.