Offset print with cold foil stamp and silk high gloss varnishing on paper. Hand signed and numbered by the artist of an edition of 300.
Kōrin: Flowers of Resurrection is far more than an explosion of smiling blossoms. In this 2016 lithograph, Takashi Murakami once again does what he does best: blending the refined elegance of Japanese artistic tradition with the pulsing, electric energy of contemporary pop culture. The piece is a direct homage to Ogata Kōrin, a master of the Rinpa school, whose floral compositions have echoed through centuries of Japanese art. But of course, in Murakami's hands, homage always comes with a twist.
At first glance, the piece dazzles—literally—thanks to the use of silver foil and a high-gloss varnish that lend it a liquid sheen and hypnotic luminosity. The flowers appear to float, dancing on an ethereal surface somewhere between this world and the next. Look closer, and you’ll notice softly dissolved skulls in the background—a subtle yet striking detail that completely transforms the image. Murakami isn’t just celebrating life here: he’s reminding us that it springs—again and again—from what fades away.
Here’s a curious fact: this work is part of a series in which Murakami plays with the Japanese term "kaika" (開花), which means both “blossoming” and “manifestation.” In other words, these flowers aren’t just blooming—they’re revealing something. Perhaps an emotion, a memory... or the simple truth that beauty and impermanence always go hand in hand.
Signed and numbered by the artist, the limited edition of 300 prints was meticulously released through his Kaikai Kiki studio, making it a prized piece among collectors. But beyond its technical brilliance and visual allure, this is a kind of pop memento mori—a reminder that even death can come wrapped in color and a cheeky floral grin.
With Kōrin: Flowers of Resurrection, Murakami offers us an image that seems radiant and light at first, but—like many flowers—keeps its true complexity folded deep within its petals.
