Mr. stands as one of the most distinctive voices to emerge from the Japanese contemporary art scene in the late 1990s, operating at the intersection of fine art, anime culture, and social commentary. Closely associated with Takashi Murakami and the Superflat movement, Mr. has developed a visual language that appears deceptively playful yet reveals a deeply complex and often unsettling psychological dimension. His work navigates the aesthetics of kawaii (cuteness) while simultaneously exposing its darker undercurrents, positioning him as both participant in and critic of contemporary visual culture.

Introduction

Born in 1969 in Cupa, Japan, Mr. (aka Iwamoto Masakazu) studied at the Sokei Academy of Fine Art & Design before joining Kaikai Kiki Co., the studio and production company founded by Takashi Murakami. His early career developed under Murakami’s mentorship, which provided both structural support and conceptual grounding within the Superflat framework. Mr. quickly distinguished himself through a more introspective and psychologically charged approach to similar source material. He has since exhibited internationally, gaining recognition across Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Mr.’s work is immediately recognizable through its use of wide-eyed, childlike female characters rendered in a highly polished, anime-inspired style. These figures often occupy flattened, decorative spaces, echoing the visual logic of manga, video games, and otaku culture. However, beneath this surface lies a persistent tension. The exaggerated innocence of the characters coexists with an underlying sense of unease—expressed through repetition, emptiness, or subtle distortions. The compositions frequently oscillate between sweetness and discomfort, creating a psychological ambiguity that is central to the artist’s practice.

Alongside a roster of artists such as Yoshitomo Nara and Aya Takano, Mr. has played an important part in the elevation of Japanese pop culture to high art. Though his work is often compared with that of his mentor and his contemporaries, Mr.’s style is unique in its explicit referencing of anime aesthetics. His oeuvre pays homage to both otaku media and Japan’s youth culture.

Main Series and Bodies of Work

Mr.’s oeuvre revolves around recurring depictions of young female characters, often presented in isolation or within densely patterned environments. These figures are less individual portraits than archetypes, functioning as projections of desire, nostalgia, and alienation. His paintings often incorporate urban references, fragments of text, or layered backgrounds that situate the characters within contemporary Japanese society. In more recent works, the compositions have become increasingly complex, integrating architectural elements and broader narrative structures. The consistency of his subject matter allows for subtle but significant evolution over time, particularly in tone and spatial construction.

The works of Mr. has given a full play to the spirit of Japanese animation, especially the fancy imagination of lolicon and otaku. The “Moe” young girl often seen in animated video games, her iconic watery eyes and slender appearance has become an elusive imagination in the Japanese subculture. Mr. reckons the innocent girl is extremely attractive, and artistic creation is a kind of therapy and therefore reinterprets oneself, allowing him to recover from a divorced family.

“People have misunderstood my work, thinking that it is just nostalgic, cute and looks like Japanese animation, but in fact, I keep painting in order to get rid of the devil that entangles my soul, they hide in my vein, impossible to escape from, can only confront with paintings. ”

Mr., being an otaku, in order to communicate with the world, added the element of western graffiti street art, exceeding the past of just portraying a young girl, but successfully weaving an innocent paradise with multi- layers and strongly narrative, and hence conveys a distinctive visual language. The intertwining layers of cultural heritage are so strong in storytelling, they all come from the artist’s well-designed style with a clearFrom niche to mainstream, carrying the iconic style of internationalisation-from Pop Art to Superflat

Technique and Mediums

Mr. works primarily in painting, alongside drawing and sculpture. His canvases are executed with meticulous precision, often using acrylic on canvas to achieve smooth, saturated surfaces.

The influence of commercial illustration is evident in the clarity of line and color, yet the scale and finish align his work firmly within the realm of fine art. Sculptural works extend his characters into three-dimensional space, reinforcing their presence while maintaining their stylized identity.

Institutional Presence

Mr. has been the subject of several significant institutional exhibitions, including solo presentations at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation and participation in major group exhibitions addressing contemporary Japanese art. His work has been included in exhibitions that examine the global impact of Superflat and the broader relationship between popular culture and contemporary art.

Mr.’s work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at renowned institutions, including Mr.: You Can Hear the Song of This Town, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix (2022), Quotidianist, How Art Museum, Shanghai (2021), and CARTE BLANCHE TO MR. AND PHARRELL WILLIAMS: ‘A CALL TO ACTION’, Musée Guimet, Paris (2019), among many others. Represented by Perrotin, Mr. has worked with the gallery on numerous shows, with the most recent ones including the solo show Mr.’s Melancholy Walk Around the Town, Perrotin Paris (2019), and the group shows Healing, Perrotin Shanghai (2021) and Perrotin Seoul (2020), and Kaleidoscopes: Contemporary Portraiture, Perrotin Hong Kong (2020).

His works are held in several prominent public collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and the Yokohama Museum of Art, among others. These institutional acquisitions reinforce the critical recognition of his work beyond the commercial sphere.

Gallery Representation

Mr. is represented by Perrotin, one of the leading galleries working with contemporary artists bridging cultural and geographic contexts.

This representation has played a key role in expanding his international visibility and positioning his work within a global collector base.

Mr.’s contribution lies in his ability to inhabit and interrogate the visual language of contemporary Japanese culture. While adopting the aesthetics of anime and kawaii, he reframes them as vehicles for psychological and social reflection. His work complicates the boundaries between innocence and desire, surface and depth, consumption and critique—making him a key figure in understanding the evolution of Superflat beyond its initial formulations.

Positioned between cultural immersion and critical distance, Mr. has built a body of work that is both visually immediate and conceptually layered. His practice exemplifies the capacity of contemporary art to engage with popular imagery without relinquishing intellectual rigor. In doing so, he continues to expand the dialogue between Japanese visual culture and the global contemporary art landscape.

PART I: SUMMARY

Auction Market Overview

2025 AUCTION STATISTICS
Turnover: USD 2,287,529
+51.5% vs. 2024
# Lots sold: 16
Sell-Through Rate: 91%

Highest Price Achieved at Auction:
A Day When Many Dreams Come True, 2016
Ravenel Taiwan: 5 December 2021
TWD 33,600,000 / USD 1,212,120

Mr.’s market has developed steadily, with particular strength in his large-scale paintings. His association with the Superflat movement and with Takashi Murakami has contributed to sustained collector interest, particularly among those focused on post-war and contemporary Japanese art. Works featuring his most iconic character types tend to perform most strongly, especially when they demonstrate compositional complexity or strong visual density.

Auction Summary

2025 Top 3 Lots

The highest price of 2025 was achieved by a large untitled painting dated 2020-2022, that sold at Christie’s in Hong-Kong, on 26 September 2025 for HKD 6,096,000 (USD 783,550). This is the only lot that sold for more than USD 500,000, representing 34.3% of the total turnover for 2025. 8 lots sold for more than USD 100,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 2,129,991, representing 93.2% of the total turnover for 2025. 3 sculptures sold at auction in 2025, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 359,512, representing 15.7% of the total turnover of 2025.

Furthermore, 6 Works on Paper sold at auction in 2025 for a total turnover of USD 102,460. With 1 lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 86%. The highest price of 2025 was achieved by On the Riverwalk, a drawing dated 2010, sold at SBI Art Auction on 25 January 2025 for JPY 4,600,000 (USD 24,490).

2025 Top 3 Lots

2024 Auction Highlights

5 lots sold at auction in 2024 for a total turnover of USD 1,283,913. With 1 lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 83%. The highest price has been achieved at Christie’s in Hong-Kong on 28 May 2024, when As It Was That Day, a painting dated 2016, sold for HKD 3,150,000 (USD 403,277).

2024 Top 3 Lots

Furthermore, 13 Works on Paper sold at auction in 2024 for a total turnover of USD 291,685. With 2 lots failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 87%. The highest price in 2024 was achieved by We Can!, a drawing dated 2019, that sold at Seoul Auction, on 22 October 2024 for KRW 94,400,000 (USD 68,440), it was a repeat sale, it had sold at Phillips in Hong-Kong, on 29 March 2024 for HKD 355,600 (USD 45,435).

2024 Top 3 Lots

2023 Auction Highlights

15 lots sold at auction in 2023 for a total turnover of USD 5,967,569. With 2 lots unsold, the sell-through rate is 88%. The highest price has been achieved at Christie’s in Hong-Kong on 28 November 2023, when STREET-CORNER OASIS, a painting dated 2018 sold for HKD 7,056,000 (USD 905,876).

2023 Top 3 Lots

4 lots sold for more than USD 500,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 2,862,725, representing 48% of the total turnover for 2023. All lots sold in Asia, either in Hong-Kong, or Tokyo.

Furthermore, 21 Works on Paper sold at auction in 2023 for a total turnover of USD 897,646, at an average price of USD 42,745. The highest price was achieved at Phillips in Hong-Kong, on 31 March 2023 for two works on paper, dated 2018, that sold for HKD 1,397,000 (USD 177,961).

2023 Top 3 Lots

2022 Auction Highlights

13 lots sold at auction in 2022 for a total turnover of USD 5,037,419.  With no lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 100%. The highest price was achieved at Seoul Auction on 22 February 2022 for Harajuku Kiss, a painting dated 2015, that sold for KRW 967,600,000 (USD 810,920).

2022 Top 3 Lots

3 lots sold for more than USD 500,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 2,046,416, representing 40.6% of the total turnover for 2022.

Top Lots

#1. A Day When Many Dreams Come True, 2016

Ravenel Taiwan: 5 December 2021
Estimated: TWD 28,000,000 – 40,000,000
TWD 33,600,000 / USD 1,212,120

Ravenel | Mr.《A Day When Many Dreams Come True》 Ravenel Autumn Auction 2021 Taipei Lot 227

MR.
A Day When Many Dreams Come True, 2016
Mixed media on canvas
280×165 cm

#4. Harajuku Kiss, 2015

Seoul Auction: 22 February 2022
Estimated: KRW 680,000,000 – 800,000,000
KRW 820,000,000 / USD 687,767 (HAMMER)
KRW 967,600,000 / USD 810,921

MR.
Harajuku Kiss, 2015
Acrylic and cotton on burnt linen
200×150 cm (78 7/8 x 59 inches)
Signed and dated on the lower right

#5. Untitled, 2020-2022

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 26 September 2025
Estimated: HKD 3,000,000 – 5,000,000
HKD 6,096,000 / USD 783,550

MR. (B. 1969), Untitled | Christie’s

MR. (B. 1969)
Untitled, 2020-2022
Acrylic and silkscreen on canvas mounted on wood panel (diptych)
Each: 235 x 142.5 cm (92 1/2 x 56 1/8 inches)
Overall: 235×285 cm (92 2/2 x 112 1/4 inches)
Signed with artist’s signature and dated ‘Mr. 2022’ (on the side of the left panel)

#6. Untitled, 2018

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 5 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 4,000,000 – 6,000,000
HKD 5,715,000 / USD 729,817
MR. | Untitled 無題 | Contemporary Evening Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

MR. (b. 1969)
Untitled, 2018
Acrylic and silkscreen print on canvas mounted on wood panel
235×285 cm (92 1/2 x 112 1/4 inches)
Signed and dated 2018 on the overlap

#7. May – Blue Hawaii, 2017

Christie’s London: 2 March 2022 
Estimated: GBP 150,000 – 200,000
GBP 504,000 / USD 673,706

MR. (B. 1969) (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
May – Blue Hawaii, 2017
Acrylic on canvas laid on shaped panel
120×142 cm (47 1/4 x 56 inches)

#8. The Endless Landscape of this Reality, 2009

Phillips Hong-Kong: 30 March 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 5,080,000 / USD 647,142

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Art … Lot 32 March 2023 | Phillips

#9. V, 2005

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 25 May 2008
Estimated: HKD 400,000 – 600,000
HKD 5,031,500 / USD 644,940

MR. | Christie’s

MR. (Born in 1969)
V, 2005
Acrylic on canvas
194.3 x 194.3 cm (76 1/2 x 76 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated ‘MR.; 2005’ (on reverse)

#10. Exercising My Telekinetic Powers, 2012

China Guardian Hong-Kong: 6 April 2023
Estimated: HKD 3,700,000 – 5,000,000
HKD 4,560,000 / USD 580,884

Auction | China Guardian (HK) Auctions Co., Ltd. (cguardian.com.hk)

#11. LIFE IS MUSIC, 2012

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 7 October 2020
Estimated: HKD 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 4,410,000 / USD 569,020

MR. | LIFE IS MUSIC 人生是音樂 | Contemporary Art Day Sale | 2020 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
LIFE IS MUSIC, 2012
Acrylic on canvas
173.2 x 105.1 cm (68 1/8 x 41 3/8 inches)
Signed and dated 2012 on the side

PART II: AUCTION RESULTS

2026 Auction Results

Sotheby’s Singapore: 25 January 2026
Estimated: SGD 130,000 – 260,000
SGD 228,600 / USD 179,690

Mr. | Hikari—Morgenrot 光-晨曦 | Modern & Contemporary Art | 2026 |

MR. (b. 1969)
Hikari—Morgenrot, 2021
Iron, FRP, urethane paint, acrylic paint, and plywood base with MDF surface finish
Sculpture: 140x63x64 cm (55-1/8 x 24-3/4 x 25-1/4 inches)
Base: 10 x 74.8 x 74.8 cm (4 x 29-1/2 x 29-1/2 inches)
Signed and dated 2021 (right foot)
This work is artist’s proof number 2, from an edition of 5, plus 2 artist’s proofs
© 2021 Mr./Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Amy, 2020

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 30 March 2026
Estimated: HKD 850,000 – 1,500,000
HKD 896,000 / USD 114,430

Mr. | Amy 艾美 | Contemporary Day Auction | Contemporary Art | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
Amy, 2020
Iron, FRP, urethane paint, acrylic paint, and plywood base with MDF surface finish
Overall: 141.5 x 70 x 70 cm (55-3/4 x 27-5/8 x 27 5/8 inches)
Signed and dated 2020 (on left shoe)
This work is number 9 from an edition of 10 with 3 artist’s proof and 1 special edition
© 2020 Mr./Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Lots Passed

Untitled, 2023

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 30 March 2026
Estimated: HKD 800,000 – 1,500,000
PASSED

Mr. | Untitled 無題 | Contemporary Day Auction | Contemporary Art |

MR. (b. 1969)
Untitled, 2023
Acrylic on canvas laid on board
121×125 cm (47-5/8 x 49-1/4 inches)
Signed and dated 2023 (on the overlap)
© 2023 Mr./Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

2025 Auction Results

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 28 November 2025
Estimated: HKD 2,000,000 – 4,000,000
HKD 2,540,000 / USD 326,320

MR. (B. 1969), In This Town -When Flowers Blossom- | Christie’s

MR. (B. 1969)
In This Town – When Flowers Blossom, 2022
Acrylic and silkscreen print on canvas mounted on board
135×200 cm (53 1/8 x 78 3/4 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2022’ (left side)

#6. Misaki – Green Forest, 2017

Christie’s Shanghai: 3 April 2025
Estimated: CNY 1,800,000 – 2,800,000
CNY 1,260,000 / USD 173,370

MR. (B. 1969), Misaki – Green Forest | Christie’s

REPEAT SALE

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 1 December 2022
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 3,780,000 / USD 485,998

MR. (B. 1969) (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
Misaki – Green Forest, 2017
Acrylic on canvas laid on shaped panel
120 x 148.7 cm (47 1/4 x 58 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2017’ (on the overlap)

#8. Amy – I Want to Protect Our Earth, 2021

USD 100,000

#9. Martha – Song of the Blue Flower, 2020

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 30 March 2025
Estimated: HKD 500,000 – 1,000,000
HKD 698,500 / USD 89,780

Mr. | Martha – Song of the Blue Flower 瑪莎－藍花之歌 | Modern & Contemporary Day Auction | 2025 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
Martha – Song of the Blue Flower, 2020
Acrylic on canvas mounted on wood panel
70 x 94.5 cm (27 1/2 x 37 1/4 inches)
Signed, dated 2020 and doodled (on the overlap)
© 2020 Mr./Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

#10. “Penyo-Henyo” Autumn Leaves Edition “Pluto”, 2004-2006

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 26 September 2025
Estimated: HKD 800,000 – 1,500,000
HKD 508,000 / USD 65,295

MR. (B. 1969), “Penyo-Henyo” Autumn Leaves Edition “Pluto” | Christie’s

MR. (B. 1969)
“Penyo-Henyo” Autumn Leaves Edition “Pluto”, 2004-2006
Fiberglass, steel, acrylic, resin, iron, and various fabrics sculpture
212 (H) x 80 x 86.5 cm (83 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 34 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2006’ (on the underside)

Lots Withdrawn

The Pumpkin Wine (Carlos Ghosn, in Early Childhood), 2004

Phillips Hong-Kong: 28 September 2025
Estimated: HKD 400,000 – 600,000
WITHDRAWN

Mr. Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale

Internationally recognized for his vibrant and nostalgic aesthetic, the artist Mr. examines otaku subculture—the Japanese fan community for anime, manga, and video games. By incorporating such motifs into his works, he blurs the lines between high and low culture. Drawing visual cues from the Japanese culture of cuteness, Mr. first gained popularity in the early 2000s for his depictions of young female characters, which remain synonymous with his artistic identity today. These characters are rendered in the typical kawaii style—featuring sparkling wide eyes, colorful hair, and round, blush-tinted faces—designed to evoke moe, the Japanese pop-culture notion of feeling affection and protectiveness for fictional characters due to their cuteness and innocence. First unveiled in 2004 at his solo exhibition Mr. – Thank You for Your Hard Work, the current lot is imbued with rich layers of subcultural references, exemplifying Mr.’s otaku philosophy. It parodies the 1980s manga series The Kabocha Wine, a romantic comedy about a ‘Tiny Guy, Huge Girl’ couple—the relationship between the short, gruff, yet kind-hearted Shunsuke Aoba and the tall, sweet, and energetic Natsumi Asaoka. The composition mirrors evocatively and deconstructively the iconic cover of the manga, depicting a giant figure of a heroic-looking shojo (girl in Japanese) protecting a thin and weak shonen (boy in Japanese). Intriguingly, the male protagonist here is a cartoon image of the former president of Nissan Motor Carlos Ghosn—though controversial now for legal issues, a legendary figure for Mr.’s generation who was once highly praised for his achievements in the Japanese auto industry.

Untitled, 2020-2021

2024 Auction Results

FOR PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES ONLY

5 lots sold at auction in 2024 for a total turnover of USD 1,283,913. With 1 lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 83%. The highest price has been achieved at Christie’s in Hong-Kong on 28 May 2024, when As It Was That Day, a painting dated 2016, sold for HKD 3,150,000 (USD 403,277).

2024 Top 3 Lots

XXXXXXXXXX

#1. As It Was That Day, 2016

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 28 May 2024
Estimated: HKD 3,000,000 – 5,000,000
HKD 3,150,000 / USD 403,277

https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6486638

MR. (B. 1969)
As It Was That Day, 2016
Acrylic and pencil on canvas
200 x 430.7 cm (78 3/4 x 169 5/8 inches)
Signed and dated ‘mr. 2016’ (on the overlap)

#2. After Sadness, 2016

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 29 May 2024
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 2,772,000 / USD 354,884

MR. (B. 1969), After Sadness | Christie’s (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
After Sadness, 2016
Acrylic on canvas mounted on wood panel
221×180 cm (87 x 70 7/8 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2016’ (on the side)

#3. Anzu, 2017

New Auction: 28 September 2024
Estimated: JPY 30,000,000 – 50,000,000
JPY 34,500,000 / USD 242,640

MR.
Anzu, 2017
FRP, urethane lacquer and acrylic paint, and metallic base
160.5 x 44 x 62 cm (63 1/8 x 17 3/8 x 24 1/2 inches)
From an edition of 5

#4. Untitled, 2020-2023

Phillips Hong-Kong: 29 March 2024
Estimated: HKD 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 1,206,500 / USD 154,244

Mr. – New Now Hong Kong Lot 22 March 2024 | Phillips

#5. Snow Bunny, 2008

China Guardian Hong-Kong: 7 April 2024
Estimated: HKD 500,000 – 800,000
HKD 1,008,000 / USD 128,867

Auction | China Guardian (HK) Auctions Co., Ltd. (cguardian.com.hk)

2023 Auction Results

FOR PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES ONLY

15 lots sold at auction in 2023 for a total turnover of USD 5,967,569. With 2 lots unsold, the sell-through rate is 88%. The highest price has been achieved at Christie’s in Hong-Kong on 28 November 2023, when STREET-CORNER OASIS, a painting dated 2018 sold for HKD 7,056,000 (USD 905,876).

2023 Top 3 Lots

4 lots sold for more than USD 500,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 2,862,725, representing 48% of the total turnover for 2023. All lots sold in Asia, either in Hong-Kong, or Tokyo.

XXXXXXXXXX

#1. STREET-CORNER OASIS, 2018

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 28 November 2023
Estimated: HKD 3,000,000 – 5,000,000
HKD 7,056,000 / USD 905,876

MR. (B. 1969) (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
STREET-CORNER OASIS, 2018
Acrylic on cotton mounted on wood panel (diptych)
Each: 235.3 x 142.6 cm. (92 5/8 x 56 1/8 inches) (2)
Overall: 235.3 x 285.2 cm (92 5/8 x 112 1/4 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2018’ (on the overlap)

#2. Untitled, 2018

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 5 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 4,000,000 – 6,000,000
HKD 5,715,000 / USD 729,817
MR. | Untitled 無題 | Contemporary Evening Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

MR. (b. 1969)
Untitled, 2018
Acrylic and silkscreen print on canvas mounted on wood panel
235×285 cm (92 1/2 x 112 1/4 inches)
Signed and dated 2018 on the overlap

#3. The Endless Landscape of this Reality, 2009

Phillips Hong-Kong: 30 March 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 5,080,000 / USD 647,142

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Art … Lot 32 March 2023 | Phillips

#4. Exercising My Telekinetic Powers, 2012

China Guardian Hong-Kong: 6 April 2023
Estimated: HKD 3,700,000 – 5,000,000
HKD 4,560,000 / USD 580,884

Auction | China Guardian (HK) Auctions Co., Ltd. (cguardian.com.hk)

#5. Anzu, 2017

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 6 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,800,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 3,556,000 / USD 454,108

MR. (b.1969)
Anzu, 2017
FRP, urethane lacquer and acrylic
Overall: 160 x 40.5 x 62 cm (63 x 16 x 24 3/8 inches)
Signed, dated 2017 and numbered 2/5 beneath the skirt
This work is number 2 from an edition of 5

#6. Misaki, 2017

Phillips Hong-Kong: 25 May 2023
Estimated: HKD 2,000,000 – 3,000,000
HKD 3,302,000 / USD 421,458

Mr. – Disruptors: Evening Sale of 20th … Lot 308 May 2023 | Phillips

#7. Miki – Earth Glowing Gold, 2018

Phillips Hong-Kong: 31 March 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,800,000 – 2,800,000
HKD 3,048,000 / USD 388,280

#8. “Penyo-Henyo” Pyopyo Edition “Good Morning, Good Morning”, 2006

Phillips Hong-Kong: 6 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 2,000,000 – 3,000,000
HKD 2,794,000 / USD 356,799

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Ar… Lot 26 October 2023 | Phillips

#9. Hikari, 2021

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 29 May 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,200,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 2,268,000 / USD 289,718

MR. (B. 1969), Hikari | Christie’s (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
Hikari, 2021
Iron, FRP, urethane paint, acrylic paint, and plywood base with MDF surface finish
150 (H) x 70 x 70 cm (59 x 27 1/2 x 27 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2021’ (on the proper right foot)
Edition: 1/2 AP, alongside edition of 5

#10. Yuna – Tochiotome, 2018

Phillips Hong-Kong: 31 March 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 2,032,000 / USD 258,853

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Art… Lot 106 March 2023 | Phillips

#11. Hiromi – Seaside, 2017

New Auction: 4 November 2023
Estimated: JPY 23,000,000 – 33,000,000
JPY 34,500,000 / USD 230,998

MR.
Hiromi – Seaside, 2017
Iron, frp, urethane paint, acrylic paint and plywood base with mdf surface finish
130x50x45 cm (51 1/8 x 19 7/8 x 17 7/8 inches)
Edition of 5

#12. Living With This Town, 2018

Phillips Hong-Kong: 31 March 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,200,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 1,778,000 / USD 226,496

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Art… Lot 247 March 2023 | Phillips

#13. June-Red Juice, 2021

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 6 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,200,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 1,524,000 / USD 194,517

MR. (b. 1969)
June-Red Juice, 2021
Acrylic on canvas, mounted on wooden panel
120 x 65.7 x 5.4 cm (47 1/4 x 25 7/8 x 2 1/8 inches)
Signed and dated 2021 on the overlap

#14. Naomi, 2017

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 29 November 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,200,000 – 2,200,000
HKD 1,134,000 / USD 145,481

MR. (B. 1969) (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
Naomi, 2017
Acrylic on canvas mounted on wood panel
295 x 92.6 cm (116 1/8 x 36 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2017’ (turning edge of the right foot)

Seoul Auction: 25 July 2023
Estimated: KRW 150,000,000 – 250,000,000
KRW 177,000,000 / USD 138,235

MR.
Glancing at Your Cheeks, 2009
Acrylic on canvas
49×70 cm (19.3 x 27.6 inches)

2022 Auction Results

FOR PAINTINGS & SCULPTURES ONLY

13 lots sold at auction in 2022 for a total turnover of USD 5,037,419. With no lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 100%. The highest price was achieved at Seoul Auction on 22 February 2022 for Harajuku Kiss, a painting dated 2015, that sold for KRW 967,600,000 (USD 810,920).

2022 Top 3 Lots

3 lots sold for more than USD 500,000, generating a cumulative turnover of USD 2,046,416, representing 40.6% of the total turnover for 2022.

XXXXXXXXXXX

#1. Harajuku Kiss, 2015

Seoul Auction: 22 February 2022
Estimated: KRW 680,000,000 – 800,000,000
KRW 820,000,000 / USD 687,767 (HAMMER)
KRW 967,600,000 / USD 810,920

MR.
Harajuku Kiss, 2015
Acrylic and cotton on burnt linen
200×150 cm (78 7/8 x 59 inches)
Signed and dated on the lower right

#2. May – Blue Hawaii, 2017

Christie’s London: 2 March 2022 
Estimated: GBP 150,000 – 200,000
GBP 504,000 / USD 673,706

MR. (B. 1969) (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
May – Blue Hawaii, 2017
Acrylic on canvas laid on shaped panel
120×142 cm (47 1/4 x 56 inches)

#3. Yoshii- (ch)!! Go, 2016

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 6 October 2022
Estimated: HKD 2,000,000 – 3,000,000
HKD 4,410,000 / USD 561,790

MR. | Yoshii- (ch)!! Go 好－！！ 去吧 | Contemporary Day Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

MR. (b. 1969)
Yoshii- (ch)!! Go, 2016
Acrylic and pencil on canvas mounted on wood panel
160 x 130.5 cm (63 x 51 3/8 inches)

USD 500,000

#4. Misaki – Green Forest, 2017

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 1 December 2022
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 3,780,000 / USD 485,998

MR. (B. 1969) (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
Misaki – Green Forest, 2017
Acrylic on canvas laid on shaped panel
120 x 148.7 cm (47 1/4 x 58 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2017’ (on the overlap)

#5. Karin, 2018

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 30 November 2022
Estimated: HKD 2,800,000 – 4,800,000
HKD 3,780,000 / USD 484,304

MR. (B. 1969) (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
Karin, 2018
Iron, FRP, urethane paint, acrylic paint and MDF base
160 (H) x 50 x 70 cm (63 x 19 5/8 x 27 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2018’ (underside of skirt)
Edition of 1 of 5 + 2AP

#6. Hiromi, 2018

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 6 October 2022
Estimated: HKD 600,000 – 1,000,000
HKD 3,780,000 / USD 481,535

MR. | Hiromi | Contemporary Day Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
Hiromi, 2018
Iron, FRP, urethane paint, acrylic paint, and plywood base with MDF surface finish
Overall: 130x50x45 cm (51 1/8 x 19 5/8 x 17 3/4 inches)
Signed and dated 2018
This work is number 1 from an edition of 5 plus 2 artist’s proof
©︎2017-2018 Mr./Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

USD 400,000

#7. While Walking, 2017

SBI Art Auction: 12 March 2022
Estimated: JPY 12,000,000 – 18,000,000
JPY 43,700,000 / USD 373,860

RESULTS｜SBI Art Auction

MR.
While Walking, 2017
Acrylic, silkscreen on canvas
162×130 cm (63 3/4 x 51 1/8 inches)
Signed and dated with drawing on the left side

USD 300,000

#8. Untitled, 2009

Phillips London: 13 October 2022
Estimated: GBP 100,000 – 150,000
GBP 226,800 / USD 257,259

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary A… Lot 186 October 2022 | Phillips

#10. Iminathi – Rose, 2019

Phillips New-York: 16 November 2022
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 226,800

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary … Lot 327 November 2022 | Phillips

#13. I Want to Make in Time for Breakfast, Oyo, 2004

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 27 May 2022
Estimated: HKD 200,000 – 400,000
HKD 756,000 / USD 96,311

MR. (B. 1969) (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
I Want to Make in Time for Breakfast, Oyo, 2004
Acrylic on canvas
73 x 100.3 cm (28 3/4 x 39 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2004’ (on the stretcher)

2021 Auction Results

WORK IN PROGRESS

#1. A Day When Many Dreams Come True, 2016

Ravenel Taiwan: 5 December 2021
Estimated: TWD 28,000,000 – 40,000,000
TWD 33,600,000 / USD 1,212,121

Ravenel | Mr.《A Day When Many Dreams Come True》 Ravenel Autumn Auction 2021 Taipei Lot 227

MR.
A Day When Many Dreams Come True, 2016
Mixed media on canvas
280×165 cm

USD 1 million

#2. Such a Thrill… It’s Crazy, 2013

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 1 December 2021
Estimated: HKD 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 6,730,000 / USD 863,551

MR. (B. 1969) (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
Such a Thrill… It’s Crazy, 2013
Acrylic on canvas
162×130 cm (63 3/4 x 51 1/8 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2013’ (lower left side)

#3. Hong Kong—At a Kiosk, 2019

Phillips London: 9 December 2021
Estimated: GBP 150,000 – 250,000
GBP 403,200 / USD 531,785

Mr. – New Now London Lot 10 December 2021 | Phillips

#4. Yume—Breath of the Earth, 2019

Phillips Hong-Kong: 30 November 2021
Estimated: HKD 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 4,032,000 / USD 517,128

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Ar… Lot 5 November 2021 | Phillips

#5. Untitled, 2011

Ravenel Taipei: 18 July 2021
Estimated: TWD 5,000,000 – 7,000,000
TWD 13,200,000 / USD 471,735

Ravenel | Mr.《Untitled》 Ravenel Spring Auction 2021 Taipei Lot 217

MR. (Japanese, 1969)
Untitled, 2011
Mixed media on canvas
145.5 x 112 cm
Signed on the reverse Mr. and dated 2011

#6. Meg, 2016

Phillips Hong-Kong: 7 June 2021
Estimated: HKD 500,000 – 700,000
HKD 3,276,000 / USD 422,195

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Art … Lot 105 June 2021 | Phillips

#7. Hiromi—Blue Autumn Sky, 2018

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 10 October 2021
Estimated: HKD 500,000 – 700,000
HKD 3,024,000 / USD 388,435

MR. | Hiromi—Blue Autumn Sky HIROMI—藍秋天 | Contemporary Art Day Sale | 2021 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
Hiromi—Blue Autumn Sky, 2018
Iron, FRP, urethane paint, acrylic paint, and plywood base with MDF surface finish
130x50x45 cm (51 1/8 x 19 3/4 x 17 3/4 inches)
Signed and dated 2018 on the figure’s right foot
This work is number 4 from an edition of 5, plus 2 artist’s proofs

PART III: FOCUS

Paintings

First Time Ever, 2007

China Guardian Hong-Kong: 7 April 2025
Estimated: HKD 1,200,000 – 1,800,000
HKD 1,440,000 / USD 185,250

Auction | China Guardian (HK) Auctions Co., Ltd.

Snow Bunny, 2008

China Guardian Hong-Kong: 7 April 2024
Estimated: HKD 500,000 – 800,000
HKD 1,008,000 / USD 128,867

Auction | China Guardian (HK) Auctions Co., Ltd. (cguardian.com.hk)

Untitled, 2020-2023

Phillips Hong-Kong: 29 March 2024
Estimated: HKD 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 1,206,500 / USD 154,244

Mr. – New Now Hong Kong Lot 22 March 2024 | Phillips

In the artwork Untitled  by the Japanese artist Mr., one is immediately engulfed in a visual feast of colour, character, and culture. This work, dense with rich elements, is emblematic of the artist’s body of work, which delves deep into the otaku subculture and the Japanese aesthetic of kawaii. The canvas becomes a microcosm of Tokyo’s dynamic essence, where the vibrancy of youth intertwines with the fervor of popular culture.

Central to the composition is a character with striking blue hair, whose large, glistening eyes and childlike features capture the quintessential kawaii style in Mr.’s practice. This character is not merely a figure but a conduit of emotion, reflecting the innocence and evoking affection that is synonymous with the idea of moe. Around this central character is a swirling kaleidoscope of smaller characters and motifs, each meticulously rendered, offering a narrative on the bustling nature of otaku culture. The characters, diverse in expression and activity, are interspersed with English and Japanese text, creating a collage that is both textual and visual. This blend of characters from various narratives could be a representation of the crowded nature of Japanese urban life, or the cluttered space of an otaku’s sanctuary, filled with merchandise and memories.

The background, a tapestry of overlapping images and graffiti-like scrawls, adds to the artwork’s complexity, suggesting a setting that is both public and intensely personal. The urban influence is palpable, reminiscent of the stickers and posters that might adorn the streets of Akihabara or Shibuya, places that pulse with the blood of anime and manga fandom. Mr.’s work often captures the spirit of these locales, known for their youth culture and their status as meccas for fans of the genres he so affectionately illustrates. The spectrum of color employed by Mr. is both a visual feast and a narrative device. The use of bright, almost neon hues, not only allures the eye but also conveys the exuberance of youth and the digital glow of Tokyo’s cityscape.

STREET-CORNER OASIS, 2018

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 28 November 2023
Estimated: HKD 3,000,000 – 5,000,000
HKD 7,056,000 / USD 905,876

MR. (B. 1969) (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
STREET-CORNER OASIS, 2018
Acrylic on cotton mounted on wood panel (diptych)
Each: 235.3 x 142.6 cm. (92 5/8 x 56 1/8 inches) (2)
Overall: 235.3 x 285.2 cm (92 5/8 x 112 1/4 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2018’ (on the overlap)

Untitled, 2018

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 5 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 4,000,000 – 6,000,000
HKD 5,715,000 / USD 729,817
MR. | Untitled 無題 | Contemporary Evening Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

MR. (b. 1969)
Untitled, 2018
Acrylic and silkscreen print on canvas mounted on wood panel
235×285 cm (92 1/2 x 112 1/4 inches)
Signed and dated 2018 on the overlap

The Endless Landscape of this Reality, 2009

Phillips Hong-Kong: 30 March 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 5,080,000 / USD 647,142

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Art … Lot 32 March 2023 | Phillips

Featuring a sprawling cityscape and anime-inspired characters, The Endless Landscape of this Reality is characteristic of Japanese artist Mr.’s iconic oeuvre. Internationally recognized for his vibrant and nostalgic aesthetic, the artist examines otaku subculture– the Japanese fan community for anime, manga, and video games. By incorporating such motifs into his works, Mr. blurs the lines between high and low culture. Taking visual cues from the Japanese culture of cuteness, Mr. first gained popularity in the early 2000s for drawing young female characters, who remain synonymous with the artist to this day. These characters are rendered in typical kawaii style– sparkling wide eyes, colorful hair, and round, blush-tinted faces– and are meant to evoke moe, the Japanese pop-culture notion of feeling affection and protectiveness for fictional characters due to their cuteness and innocence.

As a self-proclaimed otaku, Mr. continuously depicts these kawaii girls as a reflection of his own interests, but self-indulgence and eliciting adoration are not the only intentions behind his works– he hopes to portray these girls as bold, powerful individuals. Regarding the emphasis on young female characters in his oeuvre, he states: ‘I was inspired by the heroic female anime characters, which appeared in the ‘90s. From the 1970s to 1980s, I noticed that there were mainly male heroic characters in anime. However, from the 1990s, Sailor Moon became one of the popular heroine anime characters. And 10 years later, another popular anime series called Pretty Cure dominated the anime industry in Japan. Hence, my artworks only feature female characters because I want to provide them with power in our society.’

“I don’t believe in things being only ‘cute’, I feel I always have to represent both the cute and the scary dimensions with my paintings…I want to express roughness, not just cuteness and light-hearted characters.”

Part of Nobody Dies, Mr.’s 2008 solo show with Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, the current work exemplifies the artist’s neo-pop aesthetic, combining his otaku fantasies with his desire to present girls as heroic, self-contained figures. Our orange-haired protagonist sits precariously on a narrow windowsill, overlooking a neighborhood street corner on a clear day. She seems oblivious or indifferent to her perilous position, sending a bright smile our way as her hair blows casually in the breeze. The painting is a perfect balance of cheerfulness and ominousness, a running theme throughout the artist’s repertoire. Beyond the innocent heroine’s exuberance and the comfortable ambience of the urban landscape, undercurrents of isolation and danger pervade the scene. This is a commonality in Mr.’s works, which often juxtapose fun, jovial imagery with subtle themes of emptiness and pain. The artist uses art to withdraw from reality, as well as to self-reflect on solitude, fear, and social anxiety.

“I don’t really interact with the brighter side of life. But precisely because of this, imagined scenes of comfort and reassurance evolve inside of me, becoming my artistic vision. There is a darkness that exists. But in order to break out from it, I create these bright, playful works. Perhaps the viewer can find some comfort also, in the awareness of my battle and process.”

Indeed, the current work embodies the idea of escapism– the subject is quite literally detached from the real world, observing society from an unreachable height.

Placing the subject towards the right, Mr. draws our attention to the city scenery that takes up most of the canvas. His paintings frequently document urban environments, often based on photographs of Tokyo’s streets that were taken by the artist himself.  In the current work, a peaceful suburban setting dominates the foreground, featuring three-story homes with sloped roofs and balconies lined with plants. Skyscrapers tower in the near distance, close enough to be visible, yet too far away to disrupt the serene suburban atmosphere. Here, the neighborhood scene lies on the outskirts of the metropolis, serving as a pocket of peace and quiet amidst the hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan life.

Despite the foreboding undertones, The Endless Landscape of this Reality still carries an undeniable air of positivity. Coupled with the subject’s sunny disposition, the recklessness of her position is a testament to her fearlessness. Here, the artist succeeds in his intentions to recreate the anime heroine archetype– as in many of his works, the young protagonist, despite her sweet and juvenile appearance, is depicted as a courageous, independent risk-taker.

In the Midst of a Dream, 2016

Phillips Hong-Kong: 30 November 2022
Estimated: HKD 800,000 – 1,200,000
HKD 1,890,000 / USD 242,152

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary … Lot 162 November 2022 | Phillips

“I was inspired by the heroic female anime characters, which appeared in the ‘90s. From the 1970s to 1980s, I noticed that there were mainly male heroic characters in anime. However, from the 1990s, Sailor Moon became one of the popular heroine anime characters. And 10 years later, another popular anime series called Pretty Cure dominated the anime industry in Japan. Hence, my artworks only feature female characters because I want to provide them with power in our society.”

Yoshii- (ch)!! Go, 2016

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 6 October 2022
Estimated: HKD 2,000,000 – 3,000,000
HKD 4,410,000 / USD 561,790

MR. | Yoshii- (ch)!! Go 好－！！ 去吧 | Contemporary Day Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

MR. (b. 1969)
Yoshii- (ch)!! Go, 2016
Acrylic and pencil on canvas mounted on wood panel
160 x 130.5 cm (63 x 51 3/8 inches)

Hong Kong—At a Kiosk, 2019

Phillips London: 9 December 2021
Estimated: GBP 150,000 – 250,000
GBP 403,200 / USD 531,785

Mr. – New Now London Lot 10 December 2021 | Phillips

Hong Kong—At a Kiosk is typical work from Mr.’s oeuvre that demonstrates the chaotic, sticker-mania aesthetic that is reminiscent of Manga and Anime cartoons evoking true Kawaii environments. The sickly-sweet characters, with bobbing heads boasting brightly hued hair and commanding eyes portray the artist’s personal fantasies. Mr. consistently draws on themes from Japanese Otaku subculture that invite the viewer to have feelings of ‘moe’ — a Japanese notion that relates to the admiration of fictional characters. On closer look the oversized, glistening eyes of each character reveal icons that tell a separate story, one that contrasts with these seemingly innocent undertones. This narrative feature has also been traditionally associated with anime and manga, where endearing characters will often be dark and manipulative in their nature. Mr.’s employment, is a wider reflection on solitude, social anxiety, and fear where chaotic environments echo Japan’s trauma from World War II and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

A Day When Many Dreams Come True, 2016

Ravenel Taiwan: 5 December 2021
Estimated: TWD 28,000,000 – 40,000,000
TWD 33,600,000 / USD 1,212,121

Ravenel | Mr.《A Day When Many Dreams Come True》 Ravenel Autumn Auction 2021 Taipei Lot 227

MR.
A Day When Many Dreams Come True, 2016
Mixed media on canvas
280×165 cm

Untitled, 2011

Ravenel Taipei: 18 July 2021
Estimated: TWD 5,000,000 – 7,000,000
TWD 13,200,000 / USD 471,735

Ravenel | Mr.《Untitled》 Ravenel Spring Auction 2021 Taipei Lot 217

MR. (Japanese, 1969)
Untitled, 2011
Mixed media on canvas
145.5 x 112 cm
Signed on the reverse Mr. and dated 2011

On March 11, 2011, East Japan Great Earthquake and the nuclear accident came right after were a total shock yet nevertheless an inspiration for Mr. His work “Untitled” created in the same year wrote in Japanese:やりいつ! (When to do it). Through the young girl’s “Moe” emotion to express further in-depth and more abundantly. The girl wearing sailor suit in the painting makes such a posture that is full of vitality and cheering for life. It can be seen that Mr. is making use of his artistic creation as a kind of treatment to help people recover from hardship. The seemingly old-fashioned and traditional way of graffiti with a sense of comics has promoted the popular art form of animation to a much higher level. His works are deeply influential and attract many followers. His character of young girl with anime style helps to cater the nostalgic mentality of viewers to enjoy his works. Although the work cannot be simplified into a singular emotion, it is more accurate to say that the work evokes the feeling of nostalgia among the common feelings of viewers. Exactly because of the colorful world in the big eyes of these cartoon girls, his works therefore have so much fun and carefree, magnificently brilliant colors mixed with numerous healing elements blooming around the protagonist, just like the kind and sincere messages received from the support group during adolescence, which filled people with so much warmth and encouragement.

Mr., known as the Japanese Otaku artist, believes

“Temporarily put aside the current life and return to the feeling that I can do everything, which experienced when one was a child, and thus feeling a sense of happiness. I reckon Otaku are exactly the people who live in this way.”

Though his art often appears fun and even cheerful at first, his bright appearance exhibits darker themes and conveys anxiety. This painting presents his personal and artistic response to trauma, regardless natural disasters, wars, psychological anxiety, or social anxiety, and shows his contemptuous for adversity.

Shaped Canvasses

June-Red Juice, 2021

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 6 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,200,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 1,524,000 / USD 194,517

MR. | June-Red Juice 六月 – 紅色果汁 | Contemporary Day Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

MR. (b. 1969)
June-Red Juice, 2021
Acrylic on canvas, mounted on wooden panel
120 x 65.7 x 5.4 cm (47 1/4 x 25 7/8 x 2 1/8 inches)
Signed and dated 2021 on the overlap

Misaki, 2017

Phillips Hong-Kong: 25 May 2023
Estimated: HKD 2,000,000 – 3,000,000
HKD 3,302,000 / USD 422,656

Mr. – Disruptors: Evening Sale of 20th … Lot 308 May 2023 | Phillips

Yuna – Tochiotome, 2018

Phillips Hong-Kong: 31 March 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,500,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 2,032,000 / USD 258,853

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Art… Lot 106 March 2023 | Phillips

Iminathi – Rose, 2019

Phillips New-York: 16 November 2022
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 226,800

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary … Lot 327 November 2022 | Phillips

“I was inspired by the heroic female anime characters, which appeared in the ‘90s… from the 1990s, Sailor Moon became one of the popular heroine anime characters. And 10 years later, another popular anime series called Pretty Cure dominated the anime industry in Japan. Hence, my artworks only feature female characters because I want to provide them with power in our society.”

Mr. is a self-described member of the otaku subculture, a community interested in fantasy digital worlds and popular culture like anime, manga and video games. Iminathi – Rose, 2019, depicts a fierce girl in an anime style with punky pink hair and a military style helmet. Both strong and playful, the figure gazes into a fantasy galaxy of French fries, strawberry shortcake, candy and corndogs, which are reflected in her oversized pupils. The unique, custom-shaped canvas and the stylistic reference to popular illustration in the present work recalls Pop Art and Superflat, the style pioneered by Takashi Murakami. Fusing high and low forms of contemporary visual culture, Iminathi – Rose is an astute response to contemporary Japanese culture.

Yume—Breath of the Earth, 2019

Phillips Hong-Kong: 30 November 2021
Estimated: HKD 1,000,000 – 2,000,000
HKD 4,032,000 / USD 517,128

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Ar… Lot 5 November 2021 | Phillips

Spanning across painting, sculpture, installation and video art, Mr.’s signature neo-pop aesthetic portrays the artist’s personal fantasies within the realm of Otaku subculture in Japan. Celebrated for his cartoonlike representations of children and young adolescents, Mr.’s artwork consistently draws from  themes and motifs ranging from manga and anime fandoms, leading many to associate his work with the Superflat movement pioneered by art world superstar, Takashi Murakami. Similar to Murakami’s approach, as showcased in Yume—Breath of the Earth, Mr. depicts his characters in a typical kawaii fashion with large, rounded faces, colourful hair and big, sparkling eyes, elevating popular Japanese subculture into the mainstream realm of fine art – which was not the case within Japanese mass culture when he first set out at the start of his career, indicative of Mr.’s influence that has won admiration around the world.

Reaching beyond the superficial appearance of Kawaii (cute) culture, Mr.’s compositions express a sense of Kowai (scary, dark). Contrasting the bright cheerfulness of Mr.’s characters is an underlying sense of anxiety and loss, specifically as a result of the chaotic environments within which Mr. stages some of his exhibitions, echoing both Japan’s traumatic past during World War II and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Since 2011, when the catastrophic earthquake along with tsunami attacked Tohoku, Japan, Mr. became haunted by this fatal disaster and felt vulnerable about life’s unpredictability. He started to broaden the dimension of characters in his otaku world by paring his typical cute, bright and optimistic figures with a more gritty and abstract painting style, exploring themes of loss and destruction.

Just as the artist explains with the title of his 2018 exhibition at Perrotin: ‘People misunderstand me and the contents of my paintings. They just think they are nostalgic, cute, and look like Japanese anime. That may be true, but really, I paint daily in order to escape the devil that haunts my soul. The said devil also resides in my blood, and I cannot escape from it no matter how I wish, so I paint in resignation.’ⁱ Mr.’s works thus act as a form of escapism from contemporary society and a reflection of modern social anxiety, fear and solitude.

Installation view of Hong Kong, Lehmann Maupin,  Floating in the Air in the Vicinity of a Convenience Store, 14 September – 21 October 2017

This distinctive contrast of the cuteness and idealism in the artist’s work versus the cluttered and chaotic of reality has become Mr.’s emblematic style and aesthetic, encapsulating his internal paradox in the quest of searching for happiness and peace.

Sculptures

Anzu, 2017

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 6 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,800,000 – 2,500,000
HKD 3,556,000 / USD 454,108

MR. | Anzu 杏子 | Contemporary Day Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

MR. (b.1969)
Anzu, 2017
FRP, urethane lacquer and acrylic
Overall: 160 x 40.5 x 62 cm (63 x 16 x 24 3/8 inches)
Signed, dated 2017 and numbered 2/5 beneath the skirt
This work is number 2 from an edition of 5

Charismatic and curious with a cutesy flair, the idol-esque presence of Anzu (2017) demonstrates Japanese neo-pop artist MR.’s reflections on postwar Japan behind the gazes of young girls. In a juxtaposing mixture of innocence and heroic femininity, the audience is both invited to and shunned from diving deep into the alternating realm of fantasy and reality.

With an oeuvre that has long been linked to otaku culture, MR. explores the hyper excessive consumption of and obsession with soft culture, including animation, manga and video games common in Japanese society throughout his compositions. The phenomenon is increasingly common in Japan, especially among men, who gradually form a derealizing complex towards female perception and an emasculating perfection that leaves them desiring for more in the wake of this experience.

“It has only encouraged a kind of psychological complex I have in my approach to creating girl characters like them… Well, whenever I drew one, I wanted her to be as cute as possible. But by the time I finished, she wouldn’t look as cute as I wanted her to be. I’ve gotten better at it over time, and I can make my characters cuter now, but I’d like to make them even cuter.” 

Anzu is a prime example of such adolescent female characters that evoke moe, the platonic adoration towards manga and anime characters. Presented in the artist’s emblematic style, the young lady is dressed in a high schooler uniform, sporting an electric pink and blonde hairstyle along with an eccentric case of heterochromia. Her appearance aligns with stereotypical depictions of female anime protagonists, with her whimsical gaze and exuberant composure displayed in a life-sized scale, a mature power laced with great emotional range presented allows a sense of reality to permeate through the figure’s fantastical facade. Inspired by the abundance of female anime characters from the 90s onwards, the artist states, “[h]ence, my artworks only feature female characters because I want to provide them with power in our society.” (MR., quoted in Suzz, “An exclusive interview with MR. The Otaku artist”, Artitute, 3 September 2019)

“For me, it was a matter of making anime and manga into art.
This has not been done historically.”

Associated with the superflat movement (the extraction of formal characteristics in both traditional nihonga and the resistance to perspective found in animation cell drawings), MR. reconfigures the Japanese kitsch and instills his works with street culture influences. Sculptures, in particular, serve as a pertinent vehicle through which MR. presents his revolutionary conviction. As Murakami’s first generation protégé, MR. elevates his mentor’s concept of superflat in transcending two dimensionalities into the corporeal form, embodying the cultural flatness that lies in the centre of the movement. The practice is not unprecedented, however, as a look into the Renaissance will find sculptural pieces at times weighing greater than paintings due to their ability to be displayed in public spaces and consumed by the masses, aligning with the nature of manga and anime figurines as publicized media. MR.’s sculptures thus propel the subculture into value within the art world, creating his own era of Renaissance through his beloved community.

Miki – Earth Glowing Gold, 2018

Phillips Hong-Kong: 31 March 2023
Estimated: HKD 1,800,000 – 2,800,000
HKD 3,048,000 / USD 388,280

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Art… Lot 107 March 2023 | Phillips

Karin, 2018

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 30 November 2022
Estimated: HKD 2,800,000 – 4,800,000
HKD 3,780,000 / USD 484,304

MR. (B. 1969) (christies.com)

MR. (B. 1969)
Karin, 2018
Iron, FRP, urethane paint, acrylic paint and MDF base
160 (H) x 50 x 70 cm (63 x 19 5/8 x 27 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2018’ (underside of skirt)
Edition of 1 of 5 + 2AP

New Tokyo Ferry Terminal (Ariake 4-chrome), 2004-2005

Christie’s London: 1 July 2022
Estimated: GBP 100,000 – 150,000
GBP 132,300 / USD 159,435

MR. (B. 1969), New Tokyo Ferry Terminal (Ariake 4-chrome) | Christie’s

MR. (B. 1969)
New Tokyo Ferry Terminal (Ariake 4-chrome), 2004-2005
Fiber-reinforced plastic
100x147x177 cm (39 3/8 x 57 7/8 x 69 5/8 inches)
This work is from an edition of five unique variants plus two artist’s proofs

Before establishing his own practice, the artist known as Mr. worked as Takashi Murakami’s protégée for almost two decades. Like his teacher, Mr. too makes art in the so-called Superflat mode, a visual vernacular made popular by Murakami which fuses traditional Japanese aesthetics with the flat screen of digital imagery, all viewed in relation to the physical and very real topographical flattening of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Like his mentor, Mr. looks to the Japanese idea of otaku, or cuteness, drawing from manga, anime, and video games to create his sugary yet uncanny figures. In New Tokyo Ferry Terminal (Ariake 4-chrome) (2004-2005), the world, its sunsets and night skies, seems to be contained in the girl’s wide-eyed expression. Purple hair, ice cream-colored hair tie, and rainbow blush announce her whimsy, yet there is something eerie in her unblinking expression.

Mr.’s art is provocative and incendiary, representing the ‘point where innocence and experience collide, the transition from egoless childhood to adult self-awareness’ (A. Maerkle, ‘Mr.: Out Of Body Experience’, Art Asia Pacific, 1 May 2007). Manifesting a fictionalised life as reality has continual appeal for the artist, and he even lists the invented town of Cupa as his birthplace; in real life, he grew up near Kobe. Mr. graduated from the Sokei Art School in Tokyo, and his recent solo presentations include exhibitions at the Seattle Art Museum, and Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon, and the Musée Guimet in Paris, among others.

Hiromi—Blue Autumn Sky, 2018

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 10 October 2021
Estimated: HKD 500,000 – 700,000
HKD 3,024,000 / USD 388,435

MR. | Hiromi—Blue Autumn Sky HIROMI—藍秋天 | Contemporary Art Day Sale | 2021 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
Hiromi—Blue Autumn Sky, 2018
Iron, FRP, urethane paint, acrylic paint, and plywood base with MDF surface finish
130x50x45 cm (51 1/8 x 19 3/4 x 17 3/4 inches)
Signed and dated 2018 on the figure’s right foot
This work is number 4 from an edition of 5, plus 2 artist’s proofs

Concealing his reflections on postwar Japan behind a girl’s sweet gaze of innocence, MR.’s Hiromi—Blue Autumn Sky captures the artist’s signature opposition of appearance and reality. Executed in 2017, MR.’s life-size representation fits neatly into his celebrated oeuvre, where he draws from Japanese pop culture. The sculpture completely embodies mainstream Japanese kitsch appeal and street culture, exemplifying MR.’s expert incorporation of familiar themes and motifs. Otaku culture, referring to the consuming Japanese obsession with anime and manga, significantly influences MR.’s cartoonish depictions. Dressing his Hiromi—Blue Autumn Sky in neo-pop aesthetic, the artist heightens the trendy appeal of his portrayals to tap into Japanese notions of moe, the platonic adoration towards fictional manga and anime characters.

Furthering this attraction, MR. renders Hiromi in smooth, milky skin and embellishes her candy pink hair with animal hairpins. Conveyed in his emblematic style, Hiromi’s gentle gaze of naivete is also central to the work’s impact: when one first encounters the statue of Hiromi, they are immediately met by her blue and green puppy eyes of innocence. Hiromi’s ‘kawaii’ posture and soft smile further invite viewers to come closer, establishing an intimate relationship of exchange and admiration. Despite this deceitful surface appearance of cheerful innocence and simplicity, Hiromi—Blue Autumn Sky highlights a maturation and spotlights an emotional range compared to the MR.’s previous sexually explicit works. In fact, much of the artist’s works refer to Otaku culture, characterized by men obsessed with the world of manga, video games and animation. In the artist’s perspective, “it has only encouraged a kind of psychological complex I have in my approach to creating girl characters like them… Well, whenever I drew one, I wanted her to be as cute as possible. But by the time I finished, she wouldn’t look as cute as I wanted her to be. I’ve gotten better at it over time, and I can make my characters cuter now, but I’d like to make them even cuter.” (the artist on art, life and anime, TimeOut, 2016).

Behind the nostalgic, cute looking sculpture lies a melancholy atmosphere that contrasts greatly with the artist’s aesthetic. “I paint daily in order to escape the devil that haunts my soul…so I paint in resignation” refers to the economic and psychological troubles that has effected Japan from the Fukushima nuclear incident in 2011. Acting as a gatekeeper, Hiromi—Blue Autumn Sky gives us a glimpse into MR.’s ambiguous world of Japanese youth culture.

Works on Paper

2025 Auction Results

6 lots sold at auction in 2025 for a total turnover of USD 102,460. With 1 lot failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 86%. The highest price of 2025 was achieved by On the Riverwalk, a drawing dated 2010, sold at SBI Art Auction on 25 January 2025 for JPY 4,600,000 (USD 24,490).

2025 Top 3 Lots

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#1. On The Riverwalk, A Girl Lit From Behind. Was It An Illusion?, 2010

SBI Art Auction: 25 January 2025
Estimated: JPY 900,000 – 1,400,000
JPY 4,600,000 / USD 29,490
WORK ON PAPER

RESULTS｜SBI Art Auction

MR.
On The Riverwalk, A Girl Lit From Behind. Was It An Illusion?, 2010
Watercolor and pencil on paper
29.7 x 42 cm (11 3/4 x 16 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated

#2. Walking in Taipei – Downtown in the Daytime, 2019

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 26 November 2025
Estimated: HKD 180,000 – 280,000
HKD 228,600 / USD 29,370
WORK ON PAPER

MR. | Walking in Taipei – Downtown in the Daytime 台北漫步 – 白晝的市中心 | Modern & Contemporary Discoveries | 2025 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
Walking in Taipei – Downtown in the Daytime, 2019
Acrylic and silkscreen on paper
71.6 x 52 cm (28 1/8 x 20 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated 2019 (lower left)
© 2019 Mr./Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

#3. I Can See Tomorrow, 2010

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 29 May 2025
Estimated: HKD 80,000 – 150,000
HKD 190,500 / USD 24,340
WORK ON PAPER

Mr. | I Can See Tomorrow 我看到明天 | Modern & Contemporary Discoveries | 2025 | Sotheby’s

REPEAT SALE

Sotheby’s Singapore: 2 July 2023
Estimated: SGD 20,000 – 30,000
SGD 33,020 / USD 24,420
WORK ON PAPER

MR. | I Can See Tomorrow 我看到明天 | Modern & Contemporary Art | 2023 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
I Can See Tomorrow, 2010
Watercolor and pencil on paper
34 x 25.2 cm (13 3/8 x 9 7/8 inches)

#4. Full Moon, 2007

SBI Art Auction: 26 October 2025
Estimated: JPY 800,000 – 1,400,000
JPY 1,380,000 / USD 9,050
WORK ON PAPER

RESULTS｜SBI Art Auction

MR.
Full Moon, 2007
Watercolor, pencil and acrylic on paper
36×26 cm (14 1/8 x 10 1/4 inches)
Signed and dated on the lower right, Signed on the reverse

#5. What!! September?, 2019

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 26 November 2025
Estimated: HKD 42,000 – 60,000
HKD 50,800 / USD 6,525
WORK ON PAPER

MR. | What!! September? 什麽！！九月？ | Modern & Contemporary Discoveries | 2025 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
What!! September?, 2019
Colored pencil and crayon on paper
28.5 x 22.8 cm (11 1/4 x 9 inches)
© 2019 Mr./Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

#6. A Girl in a Beret and Black Tights, 2015

SBI Art Auction: 26 January 2025
Estimated: JPY 500,000 – 800,000
JPY 575,000 / USD 3,685
WORK ON PAPER

RESULTS｜SBI Art Auction

MR.
A Girl in a Beret and Black Tights, 2015
Watercolor and pencil on paper
24.2 x 19 cm (9 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated

2024 Auction Results

13 lots sold at auction in 2024 for a total turnover of USD 291,685. With 2 lots failing to sell, the sell-through rate is 87%. The highest price in 2024 was achieved by We Can!, a drawing dated 2019, that sold at Seoul Auction, on 22 October 2024 for KRW 94,400,000 (USD 68,440), it was a repeat sale, it had sold at Phillips in Hong-Kong, on 29 March 2024 for HKD 355,600 (USD 45,435).

2024 Top 3 Lots

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#1. We Can!, 2019

#2. It’s Not That Far, 2018

#3. We Can!, 2019

#4. So Fresh! Red Flower, 2018

#5. The Daze, 2019

SBI Art Auction: 9 March 2024
Estimated: JPY 3,500,000 – 5,500,000
JPY 6,095,000 / USD 41,230
WORK ON PAPER

RESULTS｜SBI Art Auction

MR.
The Daze, 2019
Acrylic and silkscreen on paper
76.1 × 57 cm (30 × 22 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated on the lower right

#6. Separate Departures, 2011

Phillips online: 3 May 2024
Estimated: HKD 50,000 – 70,000
HKD 76,200 / USD 9,725
WORK ON PAPER

Mr. Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, Hong Kong

#7. Errands – A Study, 2010

Phillips online: 7 November 2024
Estimated: HKD 40,000 – 60,000
HKD 50,800 / USD 6,535
WORK ON PAPER

Mr. Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, Hong Kong

MR.
Errands – A Study, 2010
Watercolor, pen and pencil on paper
20.8 x 15.7 cm (8 1/4 x 6 1/8 inches)
Signed and dated ‘2010 Mr.’ lower right

#8. Red Day, 2016

Phillips online: 3 May 2024
Estimated: HKD 50,000 – 70,000
HKD 50,800 / USD 6,485
WORK ON PAPER

Mr. Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, Hong Kong

MR.
Red Day, 2016
Acrylic, pen and pencil on paper
21 x 17.1 cm (8 1/4 x 6 3/4 inches)
Signed and dated ‘2016.10.13 Mr.’ lower right
©2016 Mr./Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

#9. Untitled, 2002

Christie’s online: 20 March 2024
Estimated: HKD 10,000 – 20,000
HKD 32,760 / USD 4,185
WORK ON PAPER

MR. (B. 1969), Untitled | Christie’s

MR. (B. 1969)
Untitled, 2002
Drawing in pen and acrylic on a piece of paper bag
11.6 x 13.2 cm (4 5/8 x 5 1/4 inches)
Signed and dated ‘2002. Mr’ (on the reverse)

#10. Kokoro, 2017

Phillips online: 7 November 2024
Estimated: HKD 20,000 – 30,000
HKD 30,480 / USD 3,920
WORK ON PAPER

Mr. Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, Hong Kong

MR.
Kokoro, 2017
Watercolor and pencil on paper
28.4 x 22.8 cm (11 1/8 x 8 7/8 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2017’ lower right

#11. Dusk in Sapporo, 2016

SBI Art Auction: 25 May 2024
Estimated: JPY 400,000 – 700,000
JPY 609,500 / USD 3,885
WORK ON PAPER

RESULTS｜SBI Art Auction

MR.
Dusk in Sapporo, 2016
Watercolor and pencil on paper
33.1 x 24.2 cm (13 x 9 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated

#12. The World Revolves…, 2016

SBI Art Auction: 28 January 2024
Estimated: JPY 600,000 – 900,000
JPY 575,000 / USD 3,880
WORK ON PAPER

RESULTS｜SBI Art Auction

MR.
The World Revolves…, 2016
Watercolor and pencil on paper
22 x 17.6 cm (8 5/8 x 6 7/8 inches)
Signed and dated

#13. Untitled, 2002

Christie’s online: 20 March 2024
Estimated: HKD 10,000 – 20,000
HKD 22,680 / USD 2,900
WORK ON PAPER

MR. (B. 1969), Untitled | Christie’s

MR. (B. 1969)
Untitled, 2002
Drawing in pen and acrylic on a piece of paper bag
12 x 12.7 cm (4 3/4 x 5 inches)
Signed and dated ‘2002, Mr.’ (on the reverse)

2023 Auction Results

21 lots sold at auction in 2023 for a total turnover of USD 897,646, at an average price of USD 42,745. The highest price was achieved at Phillips in Hong-Kong, on 31 March 2023 for two works on paper, dated 2018, that sold for HKD 1,397,000 (USD 177,961).

2023 Top 3 Lots

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#1. What You Gain by Searching / A Scenery I Saw, 2018

Phillips Hong-Kong: 31 March 2023
Estimated: HKD 800,000 – 1,200,000
HKD 1,397,000 / USD 177,961

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Art… Lot 257 March 2023 | Phillips

#2. Ramen Tour, 2019

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 29 May 2023
Estimated: HKD 350,000 – 450,000
HKD 604,800 / USD 77,195

MR. (B.1969), Ramen Tour | Christie’s

MR. (B.1969)
Ramen Tour, 2019
Acrylic and pen on paper
44.5 x 37.4 cm (17 1/2 x 14 3/4 inches)
Signed and dated ‘2019 mr.’ (lower right)

#3. Barefoot Season, 2014

Seoul Auction: 28 March 2023
Estimated: KRW 70,000,000 – 100,000,000
KRW 82,600,000 / USD 63,600

MR. (B.1969)
Barefoot Season, 2014
Acrylic, watercolor and pen on paper
38.3 x 29.3 cm (15 1/8 x 11 1/2 inches)

#4. Walking in Taipei – Night Market, 2019

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 6 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 500,000 – 800,000
HKD 482,600 / USD 61,630

MR. | Walking in Taipei – Night Market 台北漫步 – 夜市 | Contemporary Day Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

MR. (b. 1969)
Walking in Taipei – Night Market, 2019
Acrylic and screenprint on paper
72×52 cm (28 3/8 x 20 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated 2019

USD 50,000

#5. I Fell in Love, 2018

SBI Art Auction: 26 May 2023
Estimated: JPY 2,500,000 – 3,500,000
JPY 6,555,000 / USD 46,820

RESULTS｜SBI Art Auction

MR.
I Fell in Love, 2018
Acrylic on paper
42 x 30.9 cm (16 1/2 x 12 1/8 inches)
Signed and dated on the lower right

#6. Shinbashi Night, 2019

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 28 February 2023
Estimated: HKD 200,000 – 400,000
HKD 355,600 / USD 45,305

Shinbashi Night | 新橋之夜 | Contemporary Discoveries | Down the Rabbit Hole | 2023 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
Shinbashi Night, 2019
Mixed media on paper
46×37 cm (18 1/8 x 14 5/8 inches)
Signed and dated 2019

#7. Untitled, 2018

Phillips Hong-Kong: 7 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 250,000 – 350,000
HKD 330,200 / USD 42,160

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary A… Lot 134 October 2023 | Phillips

#8. Life is Love, 2013

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 24 September 2023
Estimated: HKD 200,000 – 400,000
HKD 327,600 / USD 41,890

MR. (B. 1969), Life is Love | Christie’s

MR. (B. 1969)
Life is Love, 2013
Acrylic, watercolor and pen on paper
41.5 x 31.5 cm (16 3/8 x 12 3/8 inches)
Signed and dated ‘MR. 2013’ (lower right)

#9. なんやねん (What The Hell), 2019

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 28 February 2023
Estimated: HKD 50,000 – 80,000
HKD 241,300 / USD 30,740

なんやねん (What The Hell) | 搞什麼鬼 | Contemporary Discoveries | Down the Rabbit Hole | 2023 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
なんやねん (What The Hell), 2019
Mixed media on paper
26.5 x 19 cm (10 3/8 x 7 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated 2019

#10. Like Takarazuka, 2013

SBI Art Auction: 28 October 2023
Estimated: JPY 3,500,000 – 6,500,000
JPY 4,140,000 / USD 27,530

RESULTS｜SBI Art Auction

MR.
Like Takarazuka, 2013
Acrylic and pen on paper
31.2 × 40.5 cm (12 1/4 x 16 inches)
Signed and dated on the lower left

#11. Untitled, 2018

Phillips Hong-Kong: 7 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 120,000 – 180,000
HKD 203,200 / USD 25,945

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary A… Lot 135 October 2023 | Phillips

#12. I Can See Tomorrow, 2010

Sotheby’s Singapore: 2 July 2023
Estimated: SGD 20,000 – 30,000
SGD 33,020 / USD 24,420

MR. | I Can See Tomorrow 我看到明天 | Modern & Contemporary Art | 2023 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
I Can See Tomorrow, 2010
Watercolor and pencil on paper
34 x 25.2 cm (13 3/8 x 9 7/8 inches)
Signed Mr. and dated 2010 (lower left)

#13. Face for Face, 2016

Phillips online: 9 February 2023
Estimated: HKD 150,000 – 180,000
HKD 189,000 / USD 24,080

Mr. – What Now?: Online Auction Lot 23 February 2023 | Phillips

#16. All Good Today!, 2018

Phillips Hong-Kong: 26 November 2023
Estimated: HKD 150,000 – 180,000
HKD 152,400 / USD 19,550

Mr. – New Now & Design Hong Kong Lot 104 November 2023 | Phillips

#17. I Am Waiting, 2019

Phillips Hong-Kong: 26 November 2023
Estimated: HKD 150,000 – 180,000
HKD 139,700 / USD 17,920

Mr. – New Now & Design Hong Kong Lot 103 November 2023 | Phillips

2022 Auction Results

WORK IN PROGRESS

#1. Untitled, 2013

Sotheby’s Singapore: 28 August 2022
Estimated: SGD 55,000 – 75,000
SGD 151,200 / USD 108,535

MR. | Untitled 無題 | Modern & Contemporary Auction | 2022 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
Untitled, 2013
Acrylic, watercolor and pen on paper
40×31 cm (17 3/4 x 12 1/4 inches)
Signed Mr. and dated 2013 (lower left)

#2. So Fresh! Red Flower, 2018

Phillips Hong-Kong: 21 June 2022
Estimated: HKD 300,000 – 500,000
HKD 730,800 / USD 93,090

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary Art … Lot 212 June 2022 | Phillips

#3. Untitled, 2018

Christie’s online: 11 October 2022
Estimated: HKD 240,000 – 400,000
HKD 529,500 / USD 67,415

MR. (B. 1969), Untitled | Christie’s

MR. (B. 1969)
Untitled, 2018
Acrylic and pen on paper
40.5 x 32.2 cm (16 x 12 5/8 inches)
Signed and dated ‘Mr. 2018’ (lower left)

#4. The Bustle of This World, 2019

Phillips Hong-Kong: 30 November 2022
Estimated: HKD 220,000 – 320,000
HKD 403,200 / USD 51,620

Mr. – 20th Century & Contemporary … Lot 163 November 2022 | Phillips

Selected Highlights

Walking in Taipei – Night Market, 2019

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 6 October 2023
Estimated: HKD 500,000 – 800,000
HKD 482,600 / USD 61,630

MR. | Walking in Taipei – Night Market 台北漫步 – 夜市 | Contemporary Day Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

MR. (b. 1969)
Walking in Taipei – Night Market, 2019
Acrylic and screenprint on paper
72×52 cm (28 3/8 x 20 1/2 inches)
Signed and dated 2019

Focusing on the night markets of Taipei, the infamous location of some of south-east Asia’s most vibrant nightlife, these kinetic streets act as the backdrop of MR.’s Walking in Taipei – Night Market (2019). Intimate in scale, and displaying a dazzling intricacy of composition that audaciously conflates high and low culture, manga, anime and graffiti vernaculars, the present work epitomizes the depth and complexity of MR.’s iconic and cutting-edge oeuvre. The neo-futuristic, downtown feel of these streets have been especially inspiring for the artist, with their seductive sense of fantasy and cacophony of images and words informing the artist’s work. Here, the kawaii (cute) and the kowai (scary) meet, with MR.’s series of Walking paintings depicting a host of characters with rainbow-hued bobs, blue ribbons and pink hair, standing against a backdrop of the Taipei streets the artist has taken as his inspiration. The glistening, oversized eyes of each girl, however, tell an independent story, reflecting back at the viewer a kind of inner world.

“I think of them as a kind of a mirror reflecting the world. From one point, I started painting girls’ eyes in a way that they seem to have a reflection of something, and since then, I cannot paint eyes without any reflection. There must be something reflecting in the eyes of the girls I paint.”

Inspired by walks the artist has taken around his own neighborhood in Tokyo and further afield, these works inspired by walking were a top of the artist’s 2019 exhibition Melancholy Walk Around the Town at Perrotin Gallery Paris and Seoul.

Making his foray into the art world in 1996 after having worked as an assistant to Takashi Murakami, MR. gained critical and commercial acclaim in the early 2000s when he was included in a number of anime-themed group exhibitions. Expertly blending aspects of high and low contemporary culture to create his pioneering and instantly recognisable work, MR.’s work embodies a blend of fantasy, apocalypse and innocence and offers a window onto the excesses and contradictions of contemporary Japanese youth culture in the aftermath of WWII and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Like his fellow Superflat pioneers, MR.’s interest in otaku, the “cute” Japanese subculture marked by an obsession with adolescence, manga, anime, and video games, can be felt in the artist’s host of wide-eyed characters, with Mr. particularly incorporating the images of hypersexualised young women prevalent to otaku into his work. Along with his characteristic depictions of young girls, the present work pays homage to the roots of the manga subculture, as it was long before artists like Mr. and Murakami helped to integrate the genre into the mainstream. Having developed considerably from the Astro Boy that first appeared on screens in the 1950s, the cult-status of works like Akira and Dragon Ball Z have seen the popularity of Japanese animation grow exponentially amongst international audiences.

Shinbashi Night, 2019

Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 28 February 2023
Estimated: HKD 200,000 – 400,000
HKD 355,600 / USD 45,305

Shinbashi Night | 新橋之夜 | Contemporary Discoveries | Down the Rabbit Hole | 2023 | Sotheby’s

MR. (b. 1969)
Shinbashi Night, 2019
Mixed media on paper
46×37 cm (18 1/8 x 14 5/8 inches)
Signed and dated 2019

Making his foray into the art world in 1996 after having worked as an assistant to Takashi Murakami, Mr. gained critical and commercial acclaim in the early 2000s when he was included in several anime-themed group exhibitions. Expertly blending aspects of high and low contemporary culture to create his pioneering and instantly recognizable work, Mr. helped usher in a new era of anime-inspired artists. Like his fellow Superflat pioneers, Mr.’s interest in otaku, the “cute” Japanese subculture marked by an obsession with adolescence, manga, anime, and video games, can be felt in the artist’s host of wide-eyed characters, with Mr. particularly incorporating the images of hypersexualised young women prevalent to otaku into his work. Along with his characteristic depictions of young girls, the present work plays homage to the roots of the manga subculture, as it was long before artists like Mr. and Murakami helped to integrate the genre into the mainstream. Having developed considerably from the Astro Boy that first appeared on screens in the 1950s, the cult status of works like Akira and Dragon Ball Z has seen the popularity of Japanese animation grow exponentially amongst international audiences.

“I think of them as a kind of a mirror reflecting the world. From one point, I started painting girls’ eyes in a way that they seem to have a reflection of something, and since then, I cannot paint eyes without any reflection. There must be something reflecting in the eyes of the girls I paint.”

Focusing on the neighborhoods of Akihabara and Ikebukuro, the central districts for otaku culture in Tokyo, these graffiti-laden streets act as the backdrop of Mr.’s Shibashi Nights (2019). The neo-futuristic downtown feel of these Tokyo neighborhoods has been incredibly inspiring for the artist, with their seductive sense of fantasy and cacophony of images and words informing the artist’s work. Here, the kawaii (cute) and the kowai (scary) meet, with Mr.’s Akihabara and Ikebukuro paintings depicting a host of characters with rainbow-hued bobs, pink pigtails and blue hair, standing against a backdrop of the Tokyo streets the artist has taken as his inspiration. However, the glistening, oversized eyes of each girl tell an independent story, reflecting a kind of inner world at the viewer.