WHAT'S YOUR BRAND?

But it is especially easy to understand why Murakami is often referred to as the Andy Warhol of Japan. Along with his Kool-Aid hues and preoccupation with pop, he fools around with notions of branding.

Tamiya is a well-known Japanese producer of scale models and toys whose logo consists of two white stars in front of red and blue blocks. With Signboard Tamiya, Murakami applies a red-hot iron to the plywood, which yields a "branded" effect. The follow-up is Signboard Takashi, in which he substitutes in his name, changes the block colours to yellow and green, and does not apply the branding iron. Note that Tamiya's slogan is "First in Quality Around the World."

The Globe & Mail
April 26 2008