Reversed Double Helix (Tongari-kun, Tamon-kun, Zoucho-kun, Jikok-kun, Koumok-kun)

A manga-like character with six arms is standing on a pedestal. “Mr. Pointy” is surrounded by four sculptures inspired by the four protector deities of Buddhism. Reversed Double Helix oozes carefreeness and fits perfectly in Takashi Murakami's visual world.

This monumental ‘neo pop’ piece combines several of the Japanese artist's favorite themes, in particular the mushroom. “By uniting the eroticism and the magic side of mushrooms, I could use them as motifs in my work,” said Murakami. Also represented in this work, at the tip of the four deities' scepters, are the laughing flower and Mickey Mouse. An impressive example of a larger series of works in different forms, Reversed Double Helix invites viewers to a moment of contemplation involving both playfulness and the sacred.

Reversed Double Helix was first shown by the Pinault Collection in 2006 at the Where Are We Going? exhibition at Palazzo Grassi, in Venice.