Beschreibung:

Takashi Murakami Miss ko² Executed in 1997 Oil paint, acrylic, synthetic resin, fiberglass, and iron. 72 x 25 x 32 1/2 in. (182.9 x 63.5 x 82.6 cm). Signed ‘TAKASHI’ and inscribed with the names of his assistants who contributed to the execution of the work (inside the torso). This work is from an edition of 3 plus 1 AP.
Provenance Marianne Boesky, New York Exhibited New York, Feature, Murakami: Hiropon, Project ko2, February–March 1997 (another example exhibited); Tokyo, Big Sight, Wonder Festival ’98, January 1998 (another example exhibited); Annandale-on-Hudson, Center for Curatorial Studies Museum, Takashi Murakami The Meaning of the Nonsense of the Meaning, June–September 1999, pp. 38, 58 and 60, pl. 15 (another example exhibited and illustrated); Tokyo, Museum of Contemporary Art, TAKASHI MURAKAMI summon monsters? open the door? heal? or die?, August 25 –November 4, 2001, pl. f, no. 27 (another example exhibited and illustrated); Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, c Murakami, October 29, 2007 – February 11, 2008; New York, Brooklyn Museum of Art, April 5 – July 13, 2008; and Bilbao, Guggenheim Museum, February 17 – May 31, 2009, pp. 83 – 85 (another example exhibited and illustrated); Chateau de Versailles, Murakami Versailles, September 14 – December 12, 2010 (another example exhibited and illustrated) Literature G. Molinari, “Takashi Murakami,” in Flash Art, March/April 1998, p. 106 (another example illustrated); “Wonder festival ’98,” in Design Plex, March 1998, p. 28 (illustrated); M. Asano, “The Readymade Hall of Fame,” in Monthly Model Graphix, April 1998, pp. 43 – 49 (another example illustrated); M. Matsui, “Takashi Murakami,” in Index, November 1998, p. 49 (another example illustrated); K. Itoi, “Pop Goes the Artist,” in Newsweek, Summer 2001 (Special Issue), p. 86 (another example illustrated); H. Kelmachter, Takashi Murakami Kaikai Kiki, Paris 2002, p. 77 (another example illustrated); J. Roberts, “Magic Mushrooms,” in Frieze, October 2002, p. 68; J. Huckbody, “Shooting from the hip,” in i-D Magazine, February 2003, p. 81 (another example illustrated); N. Ratnam, interview in i-D Magazine, February 2003, p. 86 (another example illustrated); A. Browne “When Takashi Met Marc,” in V, Issue 22, March – April 2003 (another example illustrated); M. Naves, “Warhol, Porn and Vuitton,” in The New York Observer,April 15, 2008 Catalogue Essay Takashi Murakami Miss ko2 Miss ko2 is the first large-scale sculpture Murakami ever made of a character inspired by the fantasy world of otaku, the obsessive Japanese subculture of anime, manga and video games. It immediately preceded his other celebrated sculptures of this kind, most notably Hiropon and My Lonesome Cowboy. The celebration of otaku is a major theme in Murakami’s work. The present statue is the last of the three versions in the edition of the full-scale sculpture, and Murakami painted it with special care. The lush detailing of the paint intensifies both the hyper-sexuality and the emphatic artificiality of the sculpture, a startling combination of qualities. The shading of the fabric of her shirt makes the bulge of the breasts and the fullness of the nipples all the more pronounced — they threaten to push through her bodice. The rosy glow of the skin has an unnatural vibrancy and saturation, increasing the impression that she is humanoid, not human. The word “ko” in Japanese can mean child, young woman or young geisha, and it is sometimes associated with a restaurant server. Murakami certainly had an idea of this kind in mind, for he based the clothing in his sculpture on the uniform of the waitresses at the Anna Miller restaurant chain in Tokyo, a popular hangout in the otaku scene. The Japanese chain is famous for its large-breasted waitresses, and their skimpy costumes; it is often compared to the Hooters chain in America. In Tokyo in the 1980s there was a trend for up-skirt fetish cafés, where the patrons hoped to get a glimpse of the waitresses’ panties; this fad continues at Anna Miller’s. No doubt, Murakami had this fetish in mind when making his sculpture: indeed, Miss ko2’s panties, peeking out from under her skirt, reveal both the swell of her mons and the crevice between her buttocks. The Anna Miller uniform is extremely popular in cosplay (costumed role playing)