Jellyfish Eyes – Black 4

‘Jellyfish Eyes – Black 4’ is among Takashi Murakami’s most eerie lithographs from his acclaimed ‘Jellyfish Eyes’ series. Taking influence from anime and childhood stories, Murakami has filled the series with disembodied googling eyes, forms that are simultaneously cutesy and terrifying.

In popping colours like electric green and hot pink as well as neutral greys and browns, Murakami rendered his eyes in layers. Some are in pairs of three while others are single, recollective of fantastical monsters. These floating eyes are each accompanied by three eyelashes and some are shown with their eyelids partially closed, perhaps softening the harshness of these disembodied forms.

While these forms have playful qualities, they are nonetheless frightening. Set against a black backdrop they apparently float in the darkness, bringing to life childhood fears of what could be lurking underneath beds or in the shadows. These piercing eyes extend infinitely as they float beyond the confines of the page, implying a sense of being watched from every angle and everywhere you look.

Nonetheless, having stated ‘I discovered the presence of eyes incites spectators to interact with the work’, Murakami leaves ‘Jellyfish Eyes – Black 4’ open to interpretation, to a viewer’s own fears and insecurities.