InstaMeet: ‘Japan’s Andy Warhol’ Takashi Murakami meets Instagram fans in Hong Kong hotel suite as new social media trend takes off
Intimate meetings inspired by social media platform now connecting artists and fans from around the world
Pop cultural artist Takashi Murakami, dubbed Japan’s “Andy Warhol”, gave his Instagram followers in Hong Kong a surprise treat this morning by inviting some of them to an “InstaMeet” in a hotel suite in Admiralty.
Sporting a silver tracksuit, Murakami posed for selfies and autographs, chatted about art and photography - and in the process rode the coattails of one of the hottest new social media trends.
InstaMeets are events organised by Instagram users so they can get together in such a manner. This was Murakami’s second, after an initial experiment at the Gagosian Gallery in New York in January 2015 drew thousands of fans.
Murakami is known for his creations across a range of media. He often incorporates motifs from traditional and popular Japanese culture. Some of the recurring insignias include flowers that smile, mushrooms and skulls.
The artist, who now has 209,000 Instagram followers, issued the invitation at around 4am on Wednesday morning by posting a picture on his account showing a wall full of silver-coloured helium balloons that spelled out his first name.
