Sanremo's Tim advert is very reminiscent of Murakami's flowers

The 2020 edition of the Sanremo Festival seems to be proceeding in full swing, totaling 52% of the television share and animated by the traditional controversies, which this year have focused on the outfit and performance of Achille Lauro. But our attention was captured in another detail: in Tim's commercial starring Amadeus that opens the commercial breaks, a flower pattern appears that is virtually identical to the one that made Takashi Murakami famous.

The contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami was the founder of the Superflat art movement that metaphorically reworks the two-dimensionalities of Japanese classical art by blending it with the visual style of manga and pop art and moving a criticism of the "flatness" to the culture of consumerism. Murakami's stylized flowers are one of his most recognizable artistic signatures and have appeared, in addition to his works, also on sneakers, gadgets and accessories. Another place where these flowers have appeared is the Tim advertisement starring Amadeus made on the occasion of Sanremo 2020. Comparing the images, the resemblance to Murakami's works is truly extraordinary.

Although the floral pattern is monochromatic in the advertisement, the petals present a tonal variation very familiar to those who know the works of the Japanese artist. The only real difference, excluding color, is the lack of smiling faces in the center of the flowers. Another element of reflection (or irony, depending on the reading you want to give to the episode) is that works by Takashi Murakami representing those flowers are actually on display in Arte Ariston Gallery, the contemporary art gallery present inside the same theatre where the festival is held.