TAKASHI MURAKAMI ENTERS THE GAMING SPACE WITH FAZE CLAN COLLABORATION
©TM/KK
©TM/KK
THE WORLD RENOWNED CONTEMPORARY ARTIST ENTERS THE GAMING SPACE FOR THE FIRST TIME ALONGSIDE FAZE CLAN
ESPORTS JERSEYS & MOUSE PADS FEATURING SIGNATURE FLOWER AVAILABLE ON JUNE 28 ON THE NTWRK APP
FaZe Clan, the world-renowned gaming organization, partners with iconic contemporary artist, Takashi Murakami, to release limited-edition gaming and esports merchandise collaboration dropping on June 28 date at 12pm PT on NTWRK. This is notably the first-ever gaming collaboration to come from Murakami and a dream come true for FaZe Clan to usher him into the community.
Takashi Murakami says of the partnership, "when I was a university student, Warhol made paintings in collaboration with Basquiat and it was much talked about. For Warhol, who was past 50, to collaborate with Basquiat, the young superstar, seemed to me as though the former was sucking up to the youth, and I looked on feeling a bit sorry for him. Then, they both passed away. A little over a decade later, the once-incongruous collaborative paintings, which had seemed to feature the generational divide as the sales point, started to look very fresh, like an embodiment of the situation of their time. I must now be older than Warhol then, and I suspect the members of FaZe Clan are younger than Basquiat was. Some people may think our pairing rather incongruous, but in 30 years' time, the meaning of this collaboration within art historical context will perhaps be reviewed and reassessed. And so, while I felt a bit shy about doing a collaboration with such young people, I went along with their request, trusting in the freshness of the landscape the future audience will see in this project.”
The FaZe Clan x Takashi Murakami collection, which includes an esports jersey along with several large and small mouse pads, will be available exclusively on the NTWRK app ranging from $50-$100.
Lee Trink, CEO of FaZe Clan says of the partnership, “All of us at FaZe are humbled by Takashi Murakami’s decision to collaborate with us on this special project. To work with an iconoclast, visionary, and cultural seer is an honor. Myself and many members of FaZe have admired Takashi Murakami’s work and the impact he’s had on culture for years. We’re grateful that he has trusted us to shepherd his artwork into the gaming community, which we see as a historic moment for FaZe Clan and all of gaming.”
FaZe Clan has been elevating the lifestyle of gaming on all levels since their inception and this collaboration further establishes the organization as the leader of the convergence between streetwear and gaming cultures. In the past, they have worked closely with brands like Anti-Social Social Club, Champion, Warren Lotas, Lyrical Lemonade, Siberia Hills and BE@RBRICK as well as dropping an exclusive collection with Juice WRLD amongst others. FaZe Clan has also launched incredibly successful merchandise lines and member collections for their roster of talent including FaZe Swagg, whose collection sold out in under 2 hours as well as a collaboration with Offset which was introduced at a pop-up shop on Melrose with a massive line extending multiple blocks.
About FaZe Clan:
Since its inception in 2010, FaZe Clan has established itself as the world’s most prominent and influential gaming organization known for its disruptive original content and hyper-engaged global fanbase of over 350 million combined across all social platforms. FaZe Clan holds an unrivaled position at the epicenter of gaming, sports, culture and entertainment, driving how the next generation consumes content, plays and shops. Their roster of 85 influential personalities consists of world-class gamers, engaging content creators and a mix of talent beyond the world of gaming, including NBA star Ben Simmons, Lebron “Bronny” James Jr and Lil Yachty. The organization’s unmatched esports division includes nine competitive teams in Call of Duty League (Atlanta FaZe), Fortnite, FIFA, PUBG, PUBG Mobile, Rainbow Six, VALORANT, Rocket League and CS:GO with dozens of world championship trophies among them. In addition, FaZe Clan has become a sought-after fashion and lifestyle brand through an inspired apparel line and limited-edition collaborations with partners including Champion, NFL, Manchester City FC, Lyrical Lemonade, Kappa, CLOT, LA Kings, and more. Follow us @FaZeClan, @FaZeApparel and @FaZeUpdate.
About Takashi Murakami:
Takashi Murakami, b. 1962 in Tokyo, Japan
The originator and proponent of Superflat theory, which reconstructs Japanese traditional paintings and the origin of Japanese contemporary art through visual premises of anime and manga.Murakami has created numerous characters including Miss Ko2 and Mr. DOB that reflect the otaku culture and presents them in the forms of intentionally kitsch sculptures and acutely two-dimensional paintings antithetical to the Western perspective techniques. Murakami’s cultural theory based on subcultures not only deconstructs the highbrow/lowbrow hierarchy but critically illustrates the post-World War II Japanese psychology, establishing a discourse unique to Japan in the increasingly globalizing art scene. The artist continues to attract a wide-ranging audience beyond contemporary art through his multifaceted activities including his collaboration with Louis Vuitton and focuses on street culture and contemporary ceramics. The final installment of his Superflat trilogy of curated exhibitions, Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture (New York, 2005), was awarded The Best Thematic Museum Show in New York by AICA that year. His first retrospective, ©MURAKAMI (2007 - 2009) toured four cities in North America and Europe, starting with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. He has since been holding major solo exhibitions around the world, including at the Palace of Versailles (2010), Al Riwaq Exhibition Hall (Doha, 2012), the Mori Art Museum (Tokyo, 2015), the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art (Moscow, 2017), and Tai Kwun Contemporary (Hong Kong, 2019).
About NTWRK
Named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2021, NTWRK is the premier North American livestream shopping platform where “entertainment meets e-commerce” (Forbes). Built on a digitally-innovative model of daily product drops, virtual shopping festivals and exclusive partnerships with world-renowned brands and creators, NTWRK has fostered an organic global community of artists and fans since its launch in 2018. Under the motto “Shopping At The Speed of Culture,” NTWRK provides a one-of-a-kind digital shopping experience for Gen-Z and millennial consumers.
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