Can't get enough of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's Takashi Murakami exhibit? Hop on Facebook Messenger.
The MCA, Facebook and Murakami himself have teamed up to take the Japanese artist's work art to the 1.2 billion people who use Facebook Messenger each month through a series of Messenger photo frames and effects inspired by the MCA's current exhibit, "Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg, " a retrospective that spans three decades of Murakami's work.
This is the first integration that Messenger has done with a museum exhibition.
“It’s natural for the MCA and Facebook to work together because we share a commitment to providing today’s audiences with experiences that are cutting edge, enticing, and participatory," said Lauren Smallwood, director of communications at the MCA, in a release.
The frames are inspired by works from the show including Murakami's signature character of Mr. DOB (a cartoonish, mouse-like, "self-portrait" as Murakami says, which pops up in different forms throughout the exhibit) smiling daisies, and a pink octopus character that was created specifically for the exhibition. Each were approved by Murakami.
The frames and effects, which were released to coincide with creative industry festival Cannes Lions, will also be showcased in Facebook 360 Video as well as video ads on Facebook and Instagram. It also comes at a time when Facebook is doubling down on Messenger, hoping to make it the go-to messaging platform for its users.
“Increasingly, Messenger is becoming a more and more visual medium for people to express themselves," said David Marcus, head of Messenger, in a release. "We are excited to work with the MCA and Takashi Murakami to bring to our community these special, exclusive, first-of-their kind tools to connect with the people they love."
