fiberglass sculpture, balloons, flags

September 9 - October 12, 2003

at Rockefeller Center

Reversed Double Helix--Murakami's most ambitious U.S. solo show to date-featured new works including a large freestanding sculpture, two giant floating balloons, and a forest of mushroom seating. A 30-foot-tall Buddha-like figure with multiple arms and a pointed head presided over the scene at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. "Tongari-kun" (Japanese for "Mr. Pointy") as he is known in Murakami's universe of characters, was flanked by four smaller figures. Low-lying mushrooms, a familiar motif in Murakami's artwork, surrounded the central sculpture and served as seating areas for visitors. Surveying this scene were two gigantic "eyeball" balloons, each 30 feet in diameter, floating 60 feet in the air above the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink. Murakami also designed the flags surrounding Rockefeller Center to complete the transformation.

Reversed Double Helix refers to the twisted spirals of DNA strands and plays upon Murakami's universe of mutant cartoon characters, where wide-eyed mushrooms coexist with multi-armed giants, happy flowers, and elfin creatures. Characterized by bright acrylic patterns and flat unblemished surfaces, Murakami's works are an inspired mix of tradition and modernity. With its formal sophistication and ever-gleeful cast of characters, Murakami's art appeals on a purely visual level even as it references religion, subcultures, and art history.

Artist Bio
Takashi Murakami was born in Tokyo in 1963 and received his BFA, MFA and PhD from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He has had recent solo shows at Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York (2003); Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris (2002); Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2001); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2001); and Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris (2001).

In addition to his work as an artist, Takashi Murakami is a curator, entrepreneur, and a student of contemporary Japanese society. In 2000, Murakami curated an exhibition of Japanese art titled Superflat, which acknowledged a movement toward mass-produced entertainment and its effects on contemporary aesthetics. Murakami is also internationally recognized for his collaboration with designer Marc Jacobs to create handbags and other products for the Louis Vuitton fashion house.

Sponsorship
Reversed Double Helix was organized by Public Art Fund and Tishman Speyer Properties, and presented by Target stores.

About Tishman Speyer Properties
Tishman Speyer Properties is the co-owner and manager of Rockefeller Center, which is the site of numerous public exhibits and events. The annual art installation at Rockefeller Center is consistent with Tishman Speyer's commitment to bringing art to the public in its more than 40 buildings around the globe. Tishman Speyer has earned a worldwide reputation for innovative utilization of public art in its signature commercial properties, which include Rockefeller Center and The Chrysler Center in New York City, and the Sony Center in Berlin.

Location
Takashi Murakami's Reversed Double Helix was exhibited at Rockefeller Center at Fifth Avenue and 50th Street.

Other Public Art Fund projects at Rockefeller Center
Anish Kapoor
Jonathan Borofsky
Nam June Paik
Jeff Koons