Sneak Peek of New Works by Mr. at Galerie Perrotin HK
by BLOUIN ARTINFO Hong Kong
Fantasies of prepubescent girls are the subject of works by the top Japanese artist known as “Mr.” The Superflat maestro, who is debuting 10 never-before-seen works at Galerie Perrotin Hong Kong. The upcoming exhibition, titled “Sweeet!,” will be held from October 4 to November 9.
One of the founding members of Takashi Murakami’s Kaikai Kiki company, which supports young Japanese artists, Mr. expresses his obsession with the archetypal pre-adolescent girl found in Japanese manga, anime, and video games, with bangs, thin limbs, large watery eyes, and flat faces.
The singularity of the artist’s oeuvre is now punctuated by the new series that incorporates elements of Western street art, such as graffiti tags, and overlapping word posters. This is in contrast to his past work which focuses on nostalgic Japanese graphics in the background of the cartoonish portraits of young girls. Mr. is drawn to the energy of young, untouched girls who are symbols of a childhood where nobody dies. He is a typical lolicon, a term referring to the “Lolita complex” of Vladimir Nabokov’s protagonist.