Kirsten Dunst - Turning Japanese

What this video is

This video represents a rare tri-directional convergence: Hollywood celebrity culture (Kirsten Dunst), global contemporary fine art (Takashi Murakami's superflat movement and Tate Modern institutional validation), and mainstream music video production (McG's commercial grammar). Shot guerrilla-style in Akihabara — Tokyo's globally recognized hub of otaku, anime, electronics, and kawaii subculture — the video…

Why it matters

A landmark intersection of fine-art gallery video installation and commercial music video production. As a Murakami-produced work, it introduced superflat aesthetics to a mass YouTube audience. As a McG-directed piece, it demonstrates the late-2000s porousness between gallery art, Hollywood…

The director

Born August 9, 1968 in Kalamazoo, Michigan; raised in Newport Beach, California. Holds a B.A. in Psychology from UC Irvine. Began career as a music video director and record producer in the early 1990s, directing iconic late-90s clips for Sugar Ray, Smash…