Takashi Murakami Gala

You pull up, and it's like this. Valet parking, and you drive right up the road in front of JANM. There was a line of valet parking attendants... more than they'd ever need. It was a show of force and a show of Mercedes. I wonder if openings are normally like this at MOCA in downtown. I'd think not and this was some exception. It's a sunday too.

Paparazzi line. No camera went up for me. But for Owen Wilson, Christina Ricci, Cindy Crawford, Marc Jacobs, Toby McGuire, etc. I'm sure they went to work. It felt weird when I saw it, I only noticed that it was carpet. As I took a few steps, I realized where I was, it was a line of photographers. I saw some glam looking older ladies being photographed, I wondered who they were. I have a feeling they were famous fashion people. There were a lot of those. But for the most part, money could buy you in, so it's not invite only.

Murakami has his own Harajuku girls who pointed you towards his exhibition. They were mostly taller than me. I saw the exhibition again, and it's still good, still rockin, and amazing. There's nothing else like it, and you have to wonder how can an artist top this?




I shot a tiny bit of video of the Kanye West portion. He's an amazing performer. I was actually pretty close up, but the wide angle camera gives me some distance.
if you need, link here.


This is the entrance to dinner. You walk through the LV tunnel. Pretty neat stuff.

Dinner room had projection wallpaper everywhere, they even animated a bit. This was crazy.

Using all kinds of tools...

Dinner. You got no choice and this is what you got. Served to so many, it actually wasn't that bad. The meat tasted good. That tater tot is actually yam. The rest are veggies. The appetizer was some weird cabbage sunomono that was fancy. The sashimi was the next course, that was good too.

After event at Blue Velvet hotel. Quick jump on the shuttle and we were there.
That's myself, Seonna Hong, and Takumi Kaseno (he works for Murakami)
Above my shoulder I see Gabe Ritter and his reflection. It's like a little person talking in my ear.

The place mat was actually a plexiglass "art" piece. People were taking other people's. If you stepped away to say hi to someone vultures crept in and took em. I saw one lady with an arm load, and she was even trying to take them off of our table. I guess they make nice gifts and also free for the cheapies.

This is what everyone got to tell them at what table they were sitting at. Pull the card out, and poof, you find out, this leather item is by Louis Vuitton. 31 was my table, and ironically its was where there were a few recognizable people. Seonna Hong was one. Oliver, her gallerist was another. Michael Darling who's now curating at Seattle MOCA, and others. The table next to us was Takashi's family. Yes, he actually has a family.

If you wanted coffee, it came in this mug... Counting, you got a place mat, a LV thing, (I guess business cards can fit in it) and a mug.