Takashi Murakami on Reimagining Dom Pérignon’s New Chapter and The Luxury Of Time [Exclusive Interview]

Creation has always been an act of dialogue between time and transformation for Dom Pérignon. The Maison has long served as a muse for artists and visionaries drawn to its singular vision and magnetic aura since 2005. Over the years, Dom Pérignon has invited some of the most influential cultural figures of our time like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat to interpret its essence through their own creative lens.

In its latest chapter that continues that legacy of artistic exchange, Dom Pérignon joins forces with Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami. The collaboration sees Murakami’s iconic smiling flowers bloom across the Maison’s newly unveiled limited editions, Dom Pérignon Vintage 2015 and the launch of Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2010. The dark, elegant bottles become portals into Murakami’s kaleidoscopic world where kawaii exuberance meets the poise of fine champagne. Together, they form a conversation between precision and play, a reminder that art, like champagne, is an ever-evolving expression of beauty and transformation.

Serving as experts in traditional artistry, Dom Pérignon and Takashi Murakami explore their cultural roots to consistently expand the limits of creativity. Through his unique Superflat visual style, Takashi Murakami reinterprets the elements of classical Japanese art like two-dimensionality, minimal lines, and the balance between saturation and emptiness by incorporating aspects of modern culture such as manga, consumerism, and digital flatness.

In an exclusive exchange, New Wave was able to chat with Murakami on his latest endeavour and explore this relationship with Dom Pérignon.

Dom Pérignon is a fine champagne house with long-standing tradition. What initially drew you to collaborate with the brand and how did you begin to imaging your artistic universe in dialogue with theirs? 

I was deeply drawn to the fact that Dom Pérignon is a brand that has confronted “time” head-on for hundreds of years. Since I am also constantly thinking about how to create something that will remain after my death, I was naturally able to align my own worldview with theirs.

Your smiling flowers are among your most iconic motifs. What new meanings do they take on when paired with champagne?

At first glance they may seem like complete opposites, but in fact both share the quality of the coexistence of surface and depth. That’s why I think they harmonized so naturally.

The coffrets form a modular floral tableau when placed side by side, encouraging collectors to engage beyond the bottle. How important is interactivity and play in your vision of art?

Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by manga and anime, and there was always a sense of space for play in them. That’s why, in my own works, it feels natural to leave room for viewers to engage, by moving things around, arranging them, or otherwise taking part. Art is a dialogue; if it’s a one-way street, it becomes uninteresting.

In Japanese culture, flowers often carry deep symbolic weight from impermanence to renewal. Do your smiling flowers connect to this tradition, or do they exist in an entirely new cultural space?

It’s true that flowers are symbols of impermanence and renewal. But my Flowers, while connected to tradition, exist in an entirely new context. They are contemporary flowers smiling, while also carrying a sense of emptiness. That’s why I think they stand with one foot in both worlds.

Champagne is associated with celebration and ritual. Do you think people will where use or experience these bottles for these moments when creating the designs?

I would be delighted if people celebrated their special occasions with these collaboration bottles.

You have collaborated across many industries such as fashion, accessories, music, now champagne. How does working with Dom Pérignon compare with past collaborations?

I have been fortunate to receive offers from many different partners, but all I have been doing is to simply do my best with each collaboration. What makes Dom Pérignon stand out is that the theme of “time” has been at its core from the very beginning. I think that is a significant difference from the others.

The idea of “luxury” is central to Dom Pérignon. What does luxury mean to you as an artist?

For me, luxury means “time.” It’s not about money or material things, but about how much time is devoted, how many people are involved, and what ultimately endures after all that. I believe that is what true luxury really is.

Dom Pérignon talks about “creative dialogue” in its collaborations. What does creative dialogue mean to you, and how did that manifest in this project?

For me, dialogue means “sharing coincidence.” In this case as well, the philosophy of Dom Pérignon and my own way of thinking happened to overlap by chance. Within that overlap, we discovered a common language, “time”, which then came to fruition in the work.

The bottles and coffrets almost become collectible art pieces in themselves. How do you think about the relationship between art, commerce, and collectability?

I have long believed that the boundary between art and commerce may never have existed in the first place. Warhol thought the same, the fact that something is a product in and of itself can become art. Conversely, the moment something is labeled as art, it immediately enters the flow of commerce.

That’s why bottles and coffrets becoming collectible art pieces is not surprising at all, it’s only natural. From the beginning, I am fully aware that I am “making products,” and there’s no need to deny that. On the contrary, that’s precisely where the reality of contemporary art lies.

The same goes for collectability. Once something is owned, its meaning changes. Passing through the market, moving into other people’s hands, it keeps gaining new contexts. That, too, is part of the artwork itself. I accept all of that—and enjoy it in fact.

Your art is often colourful, playful, and “kawaii,” yet there’s also a philosophical depth behind it. Do you see this project as simply joyful, or is there something more complex happening beneath the surface?

On the surface, it’s colourful and cute, but underneath that there is always a sense of emptiness and irony. So while it expresses pure joy, at the same time it poses more complex questions. It’s a dual structure.

Champagne ages and transforms over time. Do you find a parallel between that idea and the way your artistic motifs, much like the flowers, evolve across different projects?

Just as Dom Pérignon takes time to mature, my Flowers have also evolved over more than 20 years in various contexts. Even though it’s the same motif, each project reveals a new expression. In that sense, maturation and evolution are very much alike.

Finally, when someone opens a bottle of Dom Pérignon adorned with your work, what kind of emotional or artistic experience do you hope they take away?

For me, what would make me happiest is if, 100 or 200 years from now, someone sees this bottle and imagines, “So this is what the year 2025 was like.” Not only celebrating the present, but also remaining as a time capsule for the future, moving someone’s heart once again when that moment comes. If the bottle can create such an experience, that would be fantastic.

Dom Pérignon x Takashi Murakami Limited Edition Gift Boxes available from Selfridges from October  

Dom Pérignon x Takashi Murakami Vintage 2015 Gift Box | 75cl | £230 

Dom Pérignon x Takashi Murakami Rosé Vintage 2010 Gift Box | 75cl | £410