Flower; Soul to Soul 2020

This black flower with a smile, ‘Soul to Soul’, was made by Takashi Murakami, and it's interesting how the flat, almost graphic, approach contrasts with the title. I find the color choices really striking; the intense black of the petals, the pop of the pink outlining the mouth, and then the block of blue. It reminds me of a screenprint or even a digital image, where colors are laid down in distinct layers, one after the other. Look at the eyes – one yellow and one orange. They’re placed so simply but give the flower so much character. Murakami often uses repeated motifs in his work, and this flower is one of them. It’s fascinating to see how he plays with it, changing the colors or the expression, and creating a whole world of variations. Like Warhol and his soup cans. Ultimately, it's a reminder that art is always in conversation with itself. It's about openness to new ideas, and accepting ambiguity.