Underlining the temporality of nostalgia, memory, and narratives crafted through cinematic pop culture, the American artist Takeshi Murata has constructed a body of animated works that explore the lifespan of moving images and their role in the shaping of shared cultural histories.

Whether abstracting footage culled from 1980s blockbusters like Rambo into a vibrant slurry of sight and sound, or slowing down the introductory credit sequence of the 1970s sitcom Three’s Company to a cryptic melancholic pace, as well as reworking the melodramatic prize package revealing moments from the game show, The Price is Right, Murata employs a variety of animation processes to highlight the decay of media narratives. 

Presenting the largest collected works of this vital new voice, Takeshi Murata : Mortality surveys Murata’s innovative practice.  Utilizing these forms of cinema as material, Murata skillfully manipulates pop culture iconography, not for irony, celebration, or critique, but as a requiem for the mortality of the images of our time,  a reminder of the impermanence of mass media and the fleeting lifespan of cultural significance. 

Takeshi Murata : Mortality is on view during regular museum hours, when not preceded by additional programing.  
For the most up-to-date schedule, please check madmuseum.org/calendar