Life+Times Presents: Takashi Murakami, A Retrospective

“From the perceived debris of the universe, we are still yet unable to reach the stage of nirvana.” (2008)

“Bodhidharma is a historical figure said to have been the founder of Zen Buddhism but over the past two hundred years, he has reappeared in Japan as “Daruma-san,” a toy or doll which is given out every year at temples and shrines. If you look closely at the Daruma dolls, you will find that they are actually quite grotesque. The Bodhidharma legend stipulates that after sitting in cross-legged meditation in front of a wall for nine years, his legs atrophied and thus, the doll has no legs. From this, the dolls then went on to become a physical symbol of the old Japanese expression of perseverance “seven times down, eight times down.” I find that gap – between the legend’s dark content and the dolls’ current place in popular culture – to be very interesting.”