Takashi Murakami is a pop culture behemoth. The Japanese contemporary artist is best known in the art world as the founder of the post-modern “superflat” movement, which synthesizes elements of Japanese aesthetics (including ukiyo-e prints, kawaii motifs and manga) with a super-slick sensibility that collapses global consumer culture, aligning with the ethos of Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons.

Murakami’s works—which are often replete with his trademark grinning flowers—fetch huge sums at auction and have been exhibited everywhere from New York’s Museum of Modern Art to the Busan Museum of Art in South Korea, and even caused a stir at the Palace of Versailles.

The artist’s far-reaching empire extends way beyond art gallery walls. He has collaborated with fashion labels including Louis Vuitton, Comme de Garçons and Supreme; worked with musicians such as Pharrell Williams and Billie Eilish; and produced his own extensive line of products (including shoes and T-shirts), cultivating an undeniably rabid cult following. He also runs his own management company, Kaikai Kiki Co, to promote up-and-coming artists, and launched the Geisai art fair, which has been described as a “gateway” for up-and-coming artists hailing from Tokyo and beyond.

His new exhibition, “Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami” runs at Gagosian’s Grosvenor Hill outpost in London, until March 8, 2025. Unsurprisingly, this includes a takeover of the Gagosian shop in Burlington Arcade, where throngs of fans camped out to get their hands on a new T-shirt drop.

Here, the artist casts his eye back over 2024 and considers what the next year has in store.

What moment or project stands out as a personal highlight of 2024?

The fact that I created a hip-hop duo with JP The Wavy—MNNK Bro.—and we released our debut single “Mononoke Kyoto.”

Tell us about the best shows you saw in 2024.

I have had such a busy year I haven’t seen any shows anywhere in 2024. However, I was really hooked on the T.V. series Shōgun. It had a refreshing viewpoint on the Japanese perspective, and the beauty of the show’s art and costumes was astounding. I felt as though I was transported back in time to the Warring States Period of Japan, on a level I had never experienced before.

What are you looking forward to most in 2025?

By the end of next year, I should have been able to finish the animated TV series that I have been working on for over a dozen years. And I will complete the postproduction for the live action and CGI feature film Jellyfish Eyes Part 2. [The video series How I was Forced to Abandon the Production of Jellyfish Eyes Part 2 includes numerous completed sequences from the film.]

If you could see one change in the art world next year, what would it be?

I am quite old now, so I don’t really have many unresolved wishes or hopes for the future.

What is the one piece of advice you would give yourself at this time last year?

I would tell myself that the exhibition I did in Kyoto, Japan, will be really tough, as tough or more so than I was expecting. [“Takashi Murakami Mononoke Kyoto” appeared at Kyoto City Museum of Art.]

Who is the art professional you have your eye on for 2025, and why?

My view is shrinking with age but I have my eye on MNNK Bro. and the new album that I am making with JP the Wavy, which will also be ready in 2025.