Bright color, evocative of commercial art, combines with the manga-style graphic perspective associated with Murakami’s ‘Superflat’ movement to form Mr. DOB, the character first conceived in 1992. In its initial stages, the face of Mr. DOB incorporated the aforementioned letters, with ‘D’ and ‘B’ embedded in the ears of a protagonist reminiscent of Mickey Mouse, and with the face representing the ‘O’. Originally encapsulating kawaii – a type of cuteness synonymous with Japanese popular culture – Mr. DOB developed into something altogether more villainous. The character is widely recognised as a stand-in for the artist himself: as Paul Schimmel explains, ‘Murakami has created a constantly evolving character that embodies all the complexities and nuances of his ever-changing personal and corporate identity’ (P. Schimmel, ‘Making Murakami’, in ©Murakami, exh. cat., The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 2007, p. 67).

© Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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