Takashi Murakami’s ambitious exhibition at Gagosian New York, entitled “In the Land of the Dead, Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow,” came to a close last Saturday (see Takashi Murakami Speaks About His Latest Spectacular Gagosian Show and Takashi Murakami Enters His Skull Period at Gagosian). And it finished with a bang—that is, in this social media-saturated reality—a last-minute InstaMeet.
On the 10th of January, two days after the Japanese star announced the event on his Instagram account (which boasts a staggering 112,000 followers) around 1,000 fans headed to Gagosian, hoping for a photo op with their idol.
Murakami was more than keen to oblige. The hugely successful pop artist (see Art Market Analysis: Why Collectors Love Takashi Murakami, Part One and Part Two) made an introductory speech, and then proceeded to smile, wave, and goof around as he posed good-humoredly with hundreds of excited followers, both individually and in groups.
“instameet with #takashimurakami at the #gagosian gallery! #dreamytime #doingit #happymoment,” enthused one of the attending instagramers on her account, captioning a large group photo that showed a grinning Murakami spreading his arms, clad in a stripy red and blue FC Barcelona shirt.
The artist isn’t just a run-of-the mill football fan, though. According to the Japan Times, Murakami joined NGOs UNICEF and Reach Out To Asia, and FC Barcelona earlier this month for the launch of a campaign hoping to improve the lives of marginalized children in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Nepal.
Instagram-based campaigns have book-ended Murakami’s well-received Gagosian outing. Last November, a few days before the show opened, the Japanese artist took to the social media platform to offer his followers a sneak preview of the works.