Red Demon and Blue Demon With 48 Arhats 2013

Takashi Murakami made this riotous image of Red Demon and Blue Demon with 48 Arhats in paint and print, and I love the sheer exuberance of it. The colours are high-key, the lines sharp, and the surface so flat it's almost like a poster, or a cartoon cel. Look at the red demon’s mouth, all teeth and swirling, pukey colours. It’s both scary and weirdly inviting, like the best kind of fairground ride. The flatness of the paint makes the whole thing feel like it’s happening right now, immediate and in your face. And those little Arhats down below? They're like a Greek chorus, muttering and watching, adding to the sense of chaos and fun. Murakami’s work reminds me a bit of Elizabeth Murray, in the way he takes pop culture and twists it into something deeply personal and kind of bonkers. For both artists, art is like a conversation, a big, messy, beautiful argument where anything is possible.