You may or may not know his name off the top of your head, but I guarantee you’ve seen his artwork somewhere. Renowned for his 12-petals flower graphics featuring larger-than-life smiles and symphony of skulls, often separated but sometimes combined together, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami is one of our generation’s greatest creatives and collaborators. Not only has he contributed to the art world, but also to fashion, music, film and more. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we’ll start our weekly Fire Finds column with something he crafted. We’ll also be sharing more content like this regularly, so please give our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts a follow.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Finally! The prints to raise funds for the #BLM movement are ready! Thank you for your patience! It’ll be a lottery, so enter the drawing starting Monday, July 20th on NTWRK’S app for a chance to purchase 1 of 6 prints I made inspired by the movement. 100% of the sales go to various organizations dedicated to changing the systems oppressing the Black community, including @blklivesmatter, @eji_org, and @colorofchange. #BlackLivesMatter ついに！#BLMムーブメントへの募金のための版画の準備ができました！お待たせしました！ 購入は抽選なので、7月20日（月）以降NTWRKのアプリで、僕がBLMムーブメントにインスピレーションを受けて制作した版画6種のうち1種を購入するチャンスを獲得する抽選会に登録して下さい。 売り上げの100％はBlacl Lives Matter, Equal Justice Initiative, Color of Changeを含む、黒人コミュニティーを抑圧するシステムを変革することに尽くしている機関に寄付されます。

A post shared by Takashi Murakami (@takashipom) on Jul 15, 2020 at 4:07am PDT

In his own words, Murakami responded to the responsibility of artist’s in times of crises, especially issues of social justice. As the Black Lives Matter movement took hold in early June, he took to Instagram with the following announcement:

“I have said that a role of an artist is to discern the present and express it for the future audience. But if my art can effect any change here and now, I want to contribute it not only to give back but to give power to the Black community plagued by the racial injustice. And so I decided to produce a series of prints for sale, to donate the entire proceeds to the U.S. organizations fighting for social justice and racial equality. In order to get directly engaged in the movement that is taking place in America, I asked @NTWRK to be my partner for the project.”

After nearly two months in his studio grinding, the prints are finally ready. Not only will purchasing this artwork give you the opportunity to own a piece from this amazing artist, but the proceeds will be donated to organizations that are pushing towards justice and equality for all. In his post, the artist specifically mentioned Equal Justice Initiative and Color of Change as organizations that will receive donations.

In total, the release has six prints, each print is an edition of 300 and silkscreen printed on paper. Three prints are square and three prints are circular, each featuring a Flowers, Skulls, and Flowers & Skulls design. All six of these prints are monochromatic in black and signed by Murakami. In order to purchase, you have to enter a raffle drawing on NTWRK. The drawing will end on July 30 and if you are selected as a winner, each print will cost you $800 USD.

This Fire Find won’t only look good in your home but it’ll help a greater cause.

Photos via: Takashi Murakami/NTWRK/Kaikai Kiki