Eco Eco Rangers Earth Force 2005

Takashi Murakami made this piece, "Eco Eco Rangers Earth Force", with screenprint, I think. Murakami’s colors are so flat they almost vibrate against each other, popping out. And the hard outlines give the characters a graphic, cartoon-like quality, like they’re about to jump off the surface. There’s this red cloud-like shape in the top right of the print, it looks like it’s dripping these rivulets of paint, like a leaky faucet. It’s weird because it’s simultaneously menacing but also kind of goofy, like a cartoon villain. That weird juxtaposition is what makes the whole piece sing. Murakami has this way of blending Japanese pop culture with traditional fine art techniques. It's like he’s having a conversation across time and cultures, nodding to both Warhol and Hokusai in the same breath. And just like that, everything gets mixed up and nothing is so serious anymore.