Editing Superflat (section)

==Description==
"Superflat" is used by Murakami to refer to various flattened forms in Japanese graphic art, animation, pop culture and fine arts, as well as the "shallow emptiness of Japanese consumer culture."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Drohojowska-Philp |first1=Hunter |title=Superflat (Art Exhibit Review) |url=http://www.artnet.com/magazine/features/drohojowska-philp/drohojowska-philp1-18-01.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127070002/http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/features/drohojowska-philp/drohojowska-philp1-18-01.asp |archive-date=2021-01-27 |language=English |date=2001-01-18 |url-status=live}}</ref> Superflat has been embraced by American artists, who have created a hybrid called "[[SoFlo Superflat]]".<ref name=hauser/>

Murakami defines ''Superflat'' in broad terms, so the subject matter is very diverse. Some works explore the consumerism and sexual fetishism that is prevalent in [[Post-occupation Japan#Culture|post-war Japanese culture]]. This often includes [[lolicon]] art, which is parodied by works such as those by [[Henmaru Machino]]. These works are an exploration of [[otaku]] sexuality through grotesque and/or distorted images. Other works are more concerned with a fear of growing up. For example, [[Yoshitomo Nara]]'s work often features playful graffiti on old Japanese ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' executed in a childish manner. And some works focus on the structure and underlying desires that comprise otaku and overall post-war Japanese culture. Murakami is influenced by directors such as [[Hideaki Anno]].<ref>Frenchy Lunning, ''Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga'', University of Minnesota Press, 2006, p. 133. {{ISBN|0-8166-4945-6}}.</ref>

Superflat is not limited to contemporary art alone. Murakami cites older Japanese pieces as superflat as well, including [[Hokusai|Katsushika Hokusai]]'s "[[Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit]]" (1830–32) as an example of superflat.<ref name=":2" />

A subversive look at otakuism is not a defining factor of Kaikai Kiki's galleries; [[Bome (sculptor)|Bome]], one of the most important artists involved with the first Superflat exhibition, is a famous otaku figure sculptor and his work based on existing [[bishōjo]] anime characters has been showcased in multiple galleries including a solo exhibition in the Kaikai Kiki Gallery. The artist [[Mr. (artist)|Mr.]] is a self-described lolicon and views his artwork to be not a cultural commentary but a portrayal of his own personal fantasies.<ref name=hint>Chen, Aric (May 2007). "[http://www.hintmag.com/artcrawl/artcrawl.php Candy Man] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715041716/http://www.hintmag.com/artcrawl/artcrawl.php |date=2017-07-15 }}". ''Hint Fashion Magazine''. Accessed 9 March 2009.</ref>