Born 1980, Osaka, Japan. Currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Mail: snjmrkm(at)gmail.com

For business and sales inquiries, please contact Catinca Tabacaru Gallery.

Shinji Murakami’s work springboards from the philosophy Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology of Gunpei Yokoi, inventor of Nintendo’s Game & Watch and Game Boy. In this context, withered technology refers to mature technology that is cheap and well understood, and lateral thinking is the finding of radical new ways to use such tech. Murakami considers his practice a lateral thinking interrogation of the pixelated expressions in 8-bit video games.

In 2021, Murakami went one step further by producing his own games for the Atari 2600 console. These original games serve as source material for works in sculpture, painting and LED light that bring the game into the physical exhibition space. His paintings include portals on their surfaces, which are opened on smartphones using the latest in AR technology. In this way, Murakami attempts to expand the possibilities of expression by transforming the art exhibition into a constant happening, where the visitor experiences the artwork while becoming part of it.

In addition to his studio practice, since 2016, Murakami has collaborated with multiple partners who interface directly with the public, including Salesforce and The Standard Hotel, to create site-specific installations that engage with a broad audience across 20+ countries. Harnessing universal motifs and culture-responsive elements in a minimalist post-pop hand, he re-interprets the aesthetics of each context, reassessing the role of the artist within contemporary art.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

  • 2025
    Title TBD, Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, Bucharest, Romania
  • 2024
    2600, NOWHERE, New York, NY
  • 2023
    Pizza Boy, Atelier 35 in Collaboration with Catinca Tabacaru, Bucharest, Romania
  • 2017
    Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology, Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, New York, NY
  • 2016
    🌺🌷🌼❤️🐴✨🌈🌸🌹, Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, New York, NY
  • 2014
    :), Tinca Art in collaboration with Artion Gallery, New York, NY
  • 2004
    snz exhibition, Secobar, Tokyo, Japans
  • Final Quest, Graniph Gallery, Kyoto, Japan

MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS AND SITE SPECIFIC WORKS

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

RESIDENCIES

  • 2019
    Serlachius Residency, Serlachius Museums, Mänttä, Finland

PROJECTS IN PARTNERSHIP

COLLECTIONS

  • Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHIES

RELATED EXPERIENCE