Melting DOB E

Since the 1990s, Murakami has adopted cartoons, sci-fi, and anime to develop characters that appear cheerful but allude to technology and violence; one of his earliest, Mr. DOB, often stands in for the artist. Adhering to the Japanese notion of kawaii or cuteness, the melting DOB in this work is derived from Mickey Mouse and maintains Mickey’s iconic circular head and ears. Although Murakami’s work is explicitly cute and commercial, it also destabilizes hierarchies of craft and fine art and critiques the influence of the West in Japanese visual culture.