Earlier this month, I was able to check out the special exhibit by Japanese artist MR. at the Phoenix Art Museum. MR. has described himself as part of the “otaku” subculture, which is “characterized by obsessive interests in anime, manga, and reclusion into virtual fantasy worlds.” His is a former protege of Takashi Murakami and his work spans a variety of media including paintings, sculpture, video.
The subject matter draws from the anime/manga/kawaii style and otaku culture. The exhibition, “MR.: You Can Hear the Song of This Town” at PhxArt features a selection of his work that has been created over the past two decades. It includes sculptures, videos, large scale paintings, and several of his sketches and drawings placed in a life size subway station mural installation.
The first time I had heard of MR. was back in 2014, when his visuals were featured in the video for the song “It Girl” by Pharrell.
If you’re in the Phoenix area, i highly recommend checking it out for yourself. It’s up until March 12, 2023.