BCLF Shorty: Murakami
And a brief history of Eden
Surprise - I’m in your inbox early! And you thought I wasn’t even going to show up this week. Ok I’m here, but this week’s BCLF is gonna be a bit different - it’ll be a little lighter on the “big city” and heavier on the “little friend” portion because 1) I have a busy week at work with a company onsite and 2) I really want to highlight a gallery exhibit, but it’s closing this week so it’s not an evergreen event. I wish I’d heard about this earlier so I could have given you more notice to attend, but I’m not a cool influencer, sorry. So to make up for that, you’ll get some fun Eden lore written in a much more stream-of-consciousness style than usual. Let me know if you like it!
Takashi Murakami JAPONISME → Cognitive Revolution: Learning from Hiroshige May 8–July 11, 2025 Gagosian Gallery 552 West 21st Street, New York, NY 10011 Neighborhood: Chelsea
A long long time ago in the year 2008, I was studying film at Brooklyn College. Kanye West’s Graduation album came out that year and I never really listened to it, but I remember seeing the CD in a store and thinking the album cover was cool; it was by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.
Looking back on my time at college, it feels fake. Not because I went to a fake school a la Community1 but because sometimes I can’t believe the stuff I “learned” there. Half of my classes were literally 2.5 hours spent watching a movie and then an hour discussing that movie. I was a little shit at that time in my life so when I was assigned papers I took extreme liberties with the subjects. I once wrote a paper solely about Kate Winslet’s hair colors in Eternal Sunshine and somehow that was totally acceptable. To all my former employers reading this, please know that when you wrote “Bachelor’s degree required” in the job description and hired me, this is what you got.
But I had to fill out my schedule with various electives and, in addition to a computer class in which I learned how to write in binary and another class in which I literally learned how to stand up and sit down via the Alexander Technique, one class I opted to take was Art - Basic Design. I had no idea what that meant, but it had “basic” in the title so I figured it would be easy enough. I’ve always liked art; I took AP Art History in high school and was briefly insufferable, but when it came to creating art I felt pretty average2. After all, I was going to be a filmmaker, not a painter (I ultimately became neither because that’s showbiz baby!). But little did I know that this “basic” art class would leave quite the impression on me.
When I received the class syllabus, with its intimidating list of materials to acquire, I immediately thought:
The professor recommended that we go to Pearl Paint on Canal St (RIP) and as soon as I stepped inside that store I was transformed; I was now an artist. The old wooden floors creaked under every step I took and the shelves were piled absurdly high with pigments, paintbrushes, and every thickness/color/weight of pencil you can imagine (and some you surely can’t). Pearl had been supplying Soho with art supplies3 since 1933(!) and being inside that building felt like being in a magical shop in Diagon Alley - it shouldn’t have been able to exist in our world and yet there it was. I weaved through the aisles and trudged up and down each floor filling my basket to the brim with specialty paper and paintbrushes and paint, hoping the money from my student loan would cover the costs.
The class would challenge me in ways I didn’t expect and I credit it to helping me break out of my Type A mindset while simultaneously allowing my penchant for following rules to thrive. Each week, we would practice a single technique: drawing vertical and horizontal lines, mixing primary colors, etc. In one class we made a gradient color grid and, while mixing colors has always been my weakness, something awakened in me that day. My colors mixed perfectly and my grid lines were so fucking crisp as I squeezed the paintbrush between my fingers to sharpen it to a fine point4. At the end of each class we would all hang our work on the wall and enjoy that day’s gallery. Our professor was incredibly kind and encouraging and he created an environment that allowed all of the students to feel comfortable both critiquing work and giving praise. It was wholesome AF.
WTF does this have to do with Murakami though? Well, for our class final my darling professor said fuck it, let’s all go see the Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. I had only just moved to Brooklyn a year prior so this was my first visit to that museum and it was so much fun. I love how colorful and chaotic Murakami’s pieces are and I also love how BIG some of them are. It’s so easy to get lost in the details of his work as you try to uncover every little flower or bug or creature hidden on the canvas. I have super fond memories of that day and I got an A+ Honors5 in that class (I’m pretty sure everyone did). I can’t express enough how big of an impression that class had on me. I’m hoping I’ll find my folder of artworks in a closet at my mom’s house next time I visit - so fingers crossed!
And that brings us to now! I heard about a new Murakami show at a gallery in Chelsea (it was actually at Brooklyn Museum last year but no one told me). And this exhibit wasn’t just any collection of Murakami works - it featured adaptations Utagawa Hiroshige’s 100 Famous Views Of Edo. I love Hiroshige’s ukiyo‑e woodcut prints and these particular works are so freakin cool; they feature scenes of regular life around Edo in all four seasons. Murakami recreated all 100 of these pieces, but added in some of his own personal touches to make his exhibit an ukiyo-e Where’s Waldo! Have a look at some of the Hiroshige’s (left) original pieces side by side with Murakami’s (full piece middle, zoom in right) - can you find all of Murakami’s hidden touches?
I had so much fun weaving around the gallery trying to find Murakami’s little images in each of the recreations. I especially liked the ones with UFOs because I’ve spent way too much time watching documentaries about UFOs in Renaissance paintings alleging that aliens were around to help with some of our biggest technological advances6.
Some visitors to the gallery might have been confused to find some Van Gogh recreations among the bunch! However, Van Gogh was actually heavily influenced by Hiroshige’s work and used the term “Japonaiserie” to describe this style. He bought Japanese ukiyo-e woodcuts and incorporated elements of their style into the background of some of his paintings. He also made a bunch of his own recreations of Hiroshige’s 100 Famous Views of Edo series!7 Murakami offered his take on multiple Van Gogh paintings, but I quite liked his take on a self-portrait. And of course, it also had Murakami’s signature touch, though it was a bit more hidden than usual:
The whole exhibit was total eyeball porn and I was also happy to reminisce about an art class that meant so much to me. I wish I had found out about this sooner so that I could have given you more notice before it closes, but I hope you’ll try to make it to Gagosian before July 11. Take some PTO, you probably deserve it!
I emailed the gallery to ask if they knew where the paintings would be going next, but they unfortunately didn’t know. However, they did send over a really nice email and included pdfs with a ton of information. So if you can’t make it to the gallery before the show closes, consider grabbing some wine and snackies and having your own Murakami show at home! Here are the vibes:
If you can’t make it to the Murakami exhibit before it closes (or create your own in-house exhibit), then maybe you want to attend the Possibility Festival this July 12-13? I’m not gonna lie, this thing sounds pretty mysterious, but it’s also totally free. Register ASAP for this weekend-long experience packed with activities to “activate your sense of connection, growth, and joy — to boost your mental health and rediscover what makes you come alive.”
If a mystery group wellness festival sounds like a bit too much, then consider taking a relaxing Hyggehike through the Bronx on July 12. Your small group will wander through the forests, islands, woods, and wildlife sanctuaries of the Eastern Bronx, beginning near Pelham Bay Park and ending at City Island Fishing Village. The whole stroll is 10 hours long, but for a suggested $20 donation the leader will share their location with you so you can pop in and out whenever you’d like.
If relaxation isn’t your thing and you’d rather fucking destroy all of your opponents, then register for Field Day on July 12 in Prospect Park! I’m a competitive person, but Field Day was never my jam; I’d always conveniently get sick the day before. It costs $22 to participate and a portion of ticket sales will go to charity.
The Weeksville Heritage Center is hosting Floating Freely: Queer Archives & Media from the Elders Project on July 12. It’s a half-day gathering celebrating Black queer stories through film, live performance, workshops, food, and conversation. It’s free to attend and will coincide with Weeksville Green Farmers & Community Market.
I’m hosting a pastry popup on my roof this Sunday night, otherwise I would 100% be going to Dru & Ric's Present Tiến Lên Night feat. Ch-Yeah! at Orion Bar in Bushwick. I love reading
’s newsletter Buttered Popcorn and I’m actually dying to try his food so if you go please report back! If my pastries run out early I might still make it over…And finally, I’ve really been enjoying this Tik Tok series of a girl drawing all of the original 150 Pokemon from memory and it just so happens that Secret Riso Club in Bushwick is having their own Pokemon drawing event! Register to attend their Pokemon Drawing Club on July 15 to learn about contour drawing, visual style, collage, and the risograph machine by creating a Pokémon-inspired poster and set of cards. You’ll illustrate your fave characters and imagine/invent new Pokémon characters to be included in a collaborative print. Tickets are $50.
Remember: Soho was built by artists!
Upon reflection now I realize that I for sure would have been a Radium Girl had I been born 100 years earlier.
https://www.2oceansvibe.com/2023/10/20/renaissance-art-and-aliens-why-are-there-so-many-ufos-depicted-in-historical-artworks/
I looooooooove everything about this style of writing from you!!! AP art history was a joyful eye opener for me (shoutout to Miss Cassidy for signing me up for it without my knowledge) and I wish I would have taken a class like yours in college. As a teacher, I aspire to create a class like this where kids have authentic learning experiences and also I can just give them all A's.
And one of my biggest pride points is that not only did I get sick for every field day (except one), it was with actual diagnosed strep throat. The mind/body connection is a beautiful thing!