Mori Art Museum, or “MAM”

Mori Art Museum, the core of the Roppongi Arts Center, is located on the 53rd floor of Roppongi Hills in Roppongi Rokuchome.
The museum is 230m above ground, making it the highest exhibition space in Japan.
The architect of “MAM” is Richard Gluckman, who also designed the Whitney Museum in New York and the Guggenheim Museum in Berlin.

Since its opening in October 2003, the museum has held many exhibitions, mainly of contemporary visual arts, but also of fashion, architecture, design, photography and video art.

The anticipation builds as I walk through the entrance.

The beautiful spiral stairs and the high ceiling remind me of the Guggenheim in New York.

I show my ticket to the staff, take the escalator, and wait for the elevator that will take me to the 53rd floor.

“Takashi Murakami’s Five Hundred Disciples of the Buddha Exhibition”

As I go up to the 53rd floor, I notice the atmosphere change completely.

Today, “Takashi Murakami’s Five Hundred Disciples of the Buddha Exhibition” is being held. It is a Friday night, and the number of visitors keeps increasing.

Takashi Murakami, born in 1962, has not only created characters and pieces that are now representatives of the “Otaku Culture”, but also voiced the “Superflat” theory. To this day, he continues to contribute to the field of contemporary art, organizing art events like “Geisai”, producing young artists, collaborating with big name brands and musicians, as well as being a prominent figure in the film and anime industry. He is known abroad as one of Japan’s most notable artists.
This explains why there are so many foreign visitors.

This exhibition focuses on Murakami’s recent works, notably the three-meter tall and one hundred-meter long piece “Five Hundred Disciples of the Buddha”, created as a response to the earthquake in 2011. This masterpiece demonstrates a dynamic vision where the finite life and the infinite nature and universe cross, portraying the power of prayer transcending religions. This exhibition is a platform for Murakami to display his recent artistic interests and allows the viewers to see his new direction.

Centered around “Five Hundred Disciples of the Buddha”, the exhibition demonstrates confusion and human life and death, religion and art, challenging its limits to reach the essence of human society and being.

A fun museum shop

At the “Takashi Murakami’s Five Hundred Disciples of the Buddha Exhibition” gift shop, specially set up for the exhibition, you will be able to find t-shirts or binders with the printing of the Five Hundred Disciples, and various snacks. It’s fun just looking around!

If you get tired, you can sit or even lie on this big sofa.

Unlike in most museums, you can freely take photographs of this exhibition.

If you’re already a fan of Murakami, you will absolutely love it. For those who aren’t familiar with Murakami’s works, this is a great opportunity to get to know a bit about this phenomenal artist.

writer：Yoko