Last Saturday, I visited The Gagosian in Davies Street, London to see its "Future History" exhibition. The pop-up art exhibit is a collaboration between Virgil Abloh and Takashi Murakami. A coincidence about both artists is their popularity after collaborating with hip-hop star Kanye West. Since working on the album cover for 2011's Watch The Throne, Abloh's brand OFF-WHITE has blown up in the streetwear world. Likewise Murakami, who designed the album art for Graduation, has continued to thrive in art with exhibitions worldwide staying true to his bright, vibrant tone.
The two creators have opposing styles; Abloh has become known for his post-modern minimalism - a common theme across his work that makes it instantly recognisable. Murakami, however, has a much more maximal approach - using colours, sizing and proportion to give his work intricate details you could spend hours gazing at. As a result, the collaboration between artists of such different visual and artistic backgrounds was interesting to me.
My favourite piece from "FUTURE HISTORY" is the series of Shakespeare pieces, towards the left on the first picture - the view of the exhibition from the outside. THis is because it manages to blend both Abloh and Murakami's styles perfectly. From the outset, they seem like oddly coloured Shakespeare paintings. However, a closer look provides you with much finer, more interesting details. On a close-up we see that Shakespeare is coated with Abloh's signature OFF-WHITE labelling, with Murakami experimenting with a variety of different shades and strokes under just one colour.
I found the exhibit interesting and enjoyed it, despite its size. It also goes to show that collaboration does not just go beyond borders or ideas, but how opposites really can attract.