Born in 1995, when Murakami was still a student, this symbol deceives the eye and challenges perception. Seemingly joyful, imbued with bright colors and lightness, it actually hides a long and painful shadow: the trauma of the 1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With his Smile Flowers, Murakami turns happiness into a secret visual code, a message whispered among the petals, a stifled cry among the smiles.
His ever-expanding art, which combines high and low art together, has intertwined worlds and revolutionized languages: in 2003 he redefined luxury with Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton; in 2007 he shaped the imagery of an entire generation with the Graduation cover for Kanye West; in 2018 he left an indelible mark with the late Virgil Abloh.
Murakami does not just paint flowers. He sows symbols, cultivates contrasts, harvests revolutions. 
In Maiko in Kyoto - Cherry Blossoms on Red,
Murakami lets his smile flowers loose in a more open space, taking us inside Japanese culture. The red kimono, decorated with cherry blossoms, recalls the aesthetics of Kyoto's maiko. The temple and floral motifs - unique symbols of Japan, such as the pagoda and torii - are the protagonists of the work, reinterpreted in a contemporary key. The result is an atmosphere suspended between dream and reality, the artist's hallmark.