Design for Kanye West’s 'Graduation' 2009

Editor: Here we have Takashi Murakami's "Design for Kanye West's 'Graduation'" from 2009. The whole thing has a vibrant, almost dreamlike quality, but also this definite pop art feel. What do you see in this piece, and how does it speak to its time? Curator: Well, let's unpack that "pop art feel." Murakami's work is deeply rooted in an understanding of the commercialization of culture. He uses these almost hyper-cute aesthetics – that animated bear, the bright colors – to draw us in. Then, he subtly critiques the ways that branding, celebrity, and even higher education, are commodified. Do you notice how Kanye's bear mascot is ascending towards a cartoonish, almost utopian university? Editor: I do. Is he commenting on the kind of… idealised version of college that's sold to students? Curator: Precisely. And consider the historical context. This was right after the 2008 financial crisis, when student debt was becoming an enormous issue. The album, and therefore this design, touches on aspirations of success, framed in that very moment when the promise of education as a guaranteed path to success was visibly crumbling. Who has access to that dream? Editor: So, it's like the image plays with that tension? Making us think about who gets to “graduate” into the kind of life being sold in popular culture. Curator: Absolutely. It's a complex piece when you think about the socio-economic factors at play in what otherwise presents as surface level aesthetics. These visuals play into power dynamics on race, gender and class, by highlighting who is usually at the center of media production. Editor: That’s fascinating, I had no idea how much this artwork could contain about these broader societal critiques! Curator: Exactly, this seemingly bright and playful design, is asking serious questions about access, power, and the illusion of upward mobility within society.