Mr.

Biography

Mr. first made his impression in the contemporary art scene with a collection of drawings of anime-style girl characters using the backs of shopping receipts he had gathered from his day-to-day purchases. The blending of a Lolita complex and otaku culture in his works was praised by UCLA’s Paul McCarthy as having "an unbearable irresistibility in its tiny, innocent world."

The Otaku subculture emerged in Japan in the 1970s and consisted mostly of males who were consumed by manga comics, anime animation, sci-fi literature and video games. Mr.’s large-eyed characters and flat color fields are influenced by this movement and its Lolita-esque fascination with adolescents. The cheerful boys with their pants down and girls in short skirts appear sexually provocative, asking the viewer to question whether the work is a comment on Otaku culture or an exploration of Mr.’s fantasy world.

Mr. lives and works in Saitama, just outside of Tokyo. He graduated from the Department of Fine Arts, Sokei Art School in Tokyo in 1996. Mr. was discovered by Takashi Murakami in 1995 and since then has been involved with Murakami’s art organization Kaikai Kiki, as both a represented artist and a pivotal staff member. Recently, Mr.’s work was on view at the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon with fellow Kaikai Kiki artists Chiho Aoshima and Aya Takano. In 2005, he was included in the acclaimed exhibition Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture at Japan Society in New York. Mr.’s work is represented in numerous public and private collections worldwide.

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Gallery Exhibitions

• Art 39 Basel, Hall 2.1 Booth F2 - June 4 - 8, 2008
• The Armory Show 2008 - March 27 - 30, 2008
• Mr. - May 3 - June 23, 2007

Museum Exhibitions

• Art 39 Basel, Hall 2.1 Booth F2 - June 4 - 8, 2008
• The Armory Show 2008 - March 27 - 30, 2008
• Mr. - May 3 - June 23, 2007

Selected Works

Strawberry Voice, 2007 FRP, iron, various materials 116.14 x 104.72 x 112.6 inches ©2007 MR./Kaikai Kiki., Ltd. All Rights Reserved


Strawberry Voice (detail), 2007 FRP, iron, various materials 116.14 x 104.72 x 112.6 inches ©2007 MR./Kaikai Kiki., Ltd. All Rights Reserved


Strawberry Voice (detail), 2007 FRP, iron, various materials 116.14 x 104.72 x 112.6 inches ©2007 MR./Kaikai Kiki., Ltd. All Rights Reserved


Strawberry Voice (detail), 2007 FRP, iron, various materials 116.14 x 104.72 x 112.6 inches ©2007 MR./Kaikai Kiki., Ltd. All Rights Reserved


Strawberry Voice (detail), 2007 FRP, iron, various materials 116.14 x 104.72 x 112.6 inches ©2007 MR./Kaikai Kiki., Ltd. All Rights Reserved


MR. It hurts when it hits bare skin, 2007 acrylic on canvas 70.9 x 141.7 inches 180 x 360 cm © 2007 Mr. /Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. LM10951


First time ever, 2007 acrylic on canvas 39.4 x 31.6 inches ©2007 MR./Kaikai Kiki., Ltd. All Rights Reserved


A field close to heaven– Dreams and Reality, 2007 acrylic on canvas 66.9 x 27.8 inches ©2007 MR./Kaikai Kiki., Ltd. All Rights Reserved


You Girls, 2007 acrylic on canvas 63.82 x 89.53 x 1.34 inches ©2007 MR./Kaikai Kiki., Ltd. All Rights Reserved


New Tokyo Ferry Terminal (Ariake 4-chrome), 2004-2005 39.37 x 57.87 x 69.69 inches ©2004 MR./Kaikai Kiki., Ltd. All Rights Reserved


MR. Hiromi and Nau's Summer, 2007 acrylic on canvas 46 x 36 inches 116.8 x 91.4 cm © 2007 Mr. /Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. LM10949


MR. 8:32 am, 2008 watercolor and pencil on paper 14.92 x 10.94 inches (paper) 37.9 x 27.8 cm 19 x 15 inches (framed) 48.3 x 38.1 cm LM11297


MR. After Swimming, 2008 watercolor, acrylic, pencil and pen on paper 14.92 x 10.94 inches (paper) 37.9 x 27.8 cm 18.25 x 14.5 x 1.25 inches (framed) 46.4 x 36.8 x 3.2 cm LM11348


MR. Before Snack Time, 2008 watercolor and pencil on paper 14.96 x 10.91 inches (paper) 38 x 27.7 cm 19 x 15 inches (framed) 48.3 x 38.1 cm LM11294


MR. Look at how much we raised!, 2007 acrylic on canvas 44.09 x 57.28 inches 112 x 145.5 cm LM10490


MR. Ah, Akihabara, 2007 acrylic on canvas 114.6 x 286.3 inches 291 x 727.2 cm © 2007 Mr. /Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. LM10673


MR. "Penyo-Henyo" Spring Breeze Edition "Buddies", 2004-2007 Fiberglass, steel, acrylic resin, iron, various fabrics 83.5 x 31.5 x 34.1 inches 212 x 80 x 86.5 cm © 2004-2007 Mr. /Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. LM10680


MR. Field Day, 2008 watercolor and pencil on paper 14.96 x 10.91 inches (paper) 38 x 27.7 cm 19 x 15 inches (framed) 48.3 x 38.1 cm LM11299


MR. I know her secret, 2007 acrylic on canvas 66.9 x 27.8 inches 170 x 70.5 cm © 2007 Mr. /Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. LM10761


MR. Fund-raising for the heart– Maid café, 2007 acrylic on canvas 66.9 x 27.8 inches 170 x 70.5 cm © 2007 Mr. /Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. LM10763


MR. Young Sister - Very Nice - Fruit, 2006 acrylic on tarp 99.02 x 139.37 inches 251.5 x 354 cm LM11375