Flowers are a motif frequently represented by Takashi Murakami. He begins reproducing them during his entrance exam for the University of the Arts in Tokyo. At first, he doesn't like them much. Later on, he gradually finds that "each one seemed to have its own feelings, its own personality," he says, which causes a form of hypnotism in the viewer when they start contemplating them one after another. Thus, he exploits this sensation by depicting them alone or grouped together in the form of painting, printmaking, sculpture, animated films, or merchandise. For example, they appear on the Flower Cushion Rainbow, the print Flowers, and the offset lithograph KaiKai Kiki and Me - The Shocking Truth Revealed, dating back to 2010.
