(Since this story was posted, a CNN report reveals that workers at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility have discovered a leak of 45 metric tons of radioactive water, the operator Tokyo Electric Power Company said in a statement Monday December 5, 2011. At this time it is not clear whether the contaminated water reached the Pacific Ocean. The report stated that the water was found Sunday morning inside a barrier around an evaporative condensation apparatus, which is used to purify sea water used at the plant to cool reactors damaged in the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March).

By Michele Leight ffor www.ashraya-ny.org

New York City – On March 3, 2011, the massive magnitude 9.0 earthquake that struck Japan was tragic enough. Then came the tsunami that crashed through a sea wall that resulted in the deadly explosions at nuclear reactors #1 at Fukushima nuclear plant on March 12, followed by another at reactor #3, on March 14. Both explosions are captured in photographs included in the "New Day - Art for Japan" catalogue, taken by Fukushima Central Television Co., Ltd.

The photos are sobering. Nuclear reactors are large, but these become nonenties in the landscape compared with the dark tower of smoke that forced itself into the earth's atmosphere, affecting thousands of Japanese people, and the surrounding area. The earthquake and tsunami triggered the explosions that resulted in a meltdown in three of the six reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Since World War II Japan has been one of the most active developers of nuclear power. There are thousands of nuclear plants across the globe, mainly in the United States and Europe. Other nations are currently seeking to emulate Western reliance on nuclear energy.

It seems somehow appropriate that the artist that initiated the "New Day - Art for Japan," charity auction should be cited here in his own voice - courtesy of the beautiful catalogue that accompanied this sale, in which Takashi Murakami states:

"The date was March 3, 2011. Japan, my home country, was struck by a terrible natural disaster. As you know, the events of that day dealt a massive blow to those affected. Even today, six months later, we experience aftershocks at an almost daily rate and are forced to witness as the nation's recovery efforts are pushed further and further into the future. It is clear that rebuilding will be a long and difficult process and we have been hard-pressed for solutions as we survey the situation. At the same time, we are seeing signs of revival among citizens who, without any reliance on the government, are reeling in small bits of hope with their own hands..."

Murakami continues: "The damage which resulted from the recent earthquake was great and yet, there are other disasters occurring somewhere in the world every day. If we do not address the root causes of the chaos which arises from these disasters, both natural and man-made, then our problems will continue re-occurring and their severity will only grow worse, eating further away at the heart and mind. It is with the goal of engaging people in a shared understanding of this catastrophic state of affairs that I hold this event; if an art auction can serve as the impetus for such understanding, then I am hopeful that we can make our present hardship worthwhile. I want to thank Mr. Francois Pinault, who supported the idea from the beginning, and Christie’s for making this event happen.”

The New Day catalogue includes a moving description by the artist of the positive efforts to try to turn things around at grassroots level in Japan, but he adds sadly:

"Despite these positive efforts, the largest force now standing in the way of recovery is the ongoing catastrophe at the nuclear plant in Fukushima, where the damage to the plant has progressed as far as a melt-through.* We still have no clue as to how to stop the leak and as I write this, the radiation levels continue to grow more severe. On top of this, the Japanese government's attempts to suppress information reflecting this reality have upset the national unity necessary for recovery. We are heading into the greatest period of prolonged chaos that Japan has faced since its defeat in World War II."

A footnote* in the catalogue describes what a "melt-through" in a nuclear reactor is:

"When a meltdown (melting of the nuclear reactor's fuel elements due to overheating of nuclear fuel) occurs, the fuel begins piling up at the base of the reactor's core. Over time, the intense heat from this fuel causes the core to melt and the fuel then leaks into the containment vessel. This latter process, where fuel breaches the pressure vessel and descends into the outer containment vessels where it begins to sediment, is called a melt-through."

This tragedy has far reaching implications - beyond the immediate, serious effects upon the precious land and soil of Japan, and the tragicaly affected population. Ultimately the effects will most likely be felt beyond the shores of Japan. Since the explosions at the nuclear reactors, there have been numerous reports in the media about radiation found in Japan's food supply and destruction to wildlife, especially sea life - among other side-effects, which will only really be known fully over time. Towns and villages within a 12-20 mile radius of the site have been declared unfit to live in because of the radiation levels. It is expected to take up to three decades for some of these towns to return to normalcy - meanwhile, former residents cannot return to their homes. The ground water, rivers, and streams carry whatever leaks into them elsewhere - who knows where? The air around the nuclear reactors is not static. It moves, carrying with it potentially harmful substances that could end up anywhere.

The World Bank estimated the cost of the nuclear crisis in Japan in the region of $235 billion, making it one of the world's most expensive disasters. The operators of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), announced record losses of 1.25 trillion yen as they struggle with the ongoing nuclear crisis. Tepco also announced that during the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, the fuel rods in three of the reactors had melted. More important than all of this are the unquantifiable health implications, loss of life, homes, and precious possessions - a tragic loss of stability and security for thousands of people. This is a crisis of enormous proportions that requires the help of the global community - no nation can face such a crisis alone.

At the press preview at Gagosian Gallery on October 27, Takashi Murakami described how his studio shook on the day of the earthquake, (he did not leave it), and that Francois Pinault contacted him that same day, offering to help in any way he could. It is heartening when people step up to help friends and colleagues in the worst of times. It inspires hope.

When a member of the press asked Murakami why the works of art for this auction seemed so happy - considering the gravity of the cause their sale will support - the artist said he wanted to convey an optimistic message, symbolizing a new day for Japan.

With a smile, Murakami said the artist's who donated works "share the same hopes as me for Japan," and added that some of the artists were present. He then introduced Yoshitomo Nara, MR., KAWS and Aya Takano, who spoke about their work and their concern for Japan. The photographs of the artists and the pieces they donated (many illustrated here) were taken at the press preview at Gagosian Gallery on October 27th. Murakami personally selected the works of art that were subsequently auctioned in a specially dedicated section of Christie's Post War and Contemporary Art Sale in New York on November 9, 2011, at 9.30 am.

Takashi Murakami took the opportunity to say that Damien Hirst had been especially generous, donating two top quality pieces, "Love-In," (illustrated above), that depicts butterflies and cubic zirconia embedded in household gloss paint that is "symbolic of the brevity of life and metamorphosis; Hirst uses the butterfly to symbolize the ascension of the soul; yet he distorts this allusion with the cubic zirconia, a commercial object engineered to apear as a precious stone..." (New Day catalogue), and a magnificent gold plated, stainless steel cabinet with glass and lab aquamarines, entitled "Forget," illustrated below, which sold for $578,500. The catalogue notes "'Forget' is a dazzlingly modern vanitas - a reminder of the fragility of human life."

"Love-In," the green heart with butterflies, raised $386,500.

Fun filled Jeff Koons did not disappoint with his winsome "Balloon Monkey Wall Relief (Pink)," a piece that merges Pop and Conceptual art, which Murakami also described as a very generous donation. It sold for $1,202,500:

"Koons has silkscreened a photographic image onto a sheet of metal thereby marrying printmaking, photography and sculptural practices" (New Day catalogue). The adorable creature is illustrated below.

Takashi Murakami also mentioned Cindy Sherman, who donated a set of four early photographs from her "Untitled (Bus Rider Series)," in which the artist dresses up as an elderly white woman, with stockings puddled at her ankles, a white male art student, a black male - herself in black face - wearing a jaunty hat and dark glasses, and a pretty young woman. "It is one of the earliest examples of an artist examining whiteness as a cultural stereotype. It is also one of the few instances in her oevre in which she took on male subjects...." (New Day catalogue).

Akira Kurosawa is regarded as one of the most important filmmakers of all time. His films often highlight universal issues. In his film "Dreams" - based on his own dreams - Kurosawa uncannily anticipated the present disaster in one dream (or rather nightmare), "Mount Fuji in Red," in which a nuclear meltdown threatens to devastate Japan. As with all Kurosawa's artistic endeavors, even this horror story is exquisitely delivered. The cinematography is superb, the vignettes unforgettable. Artists and writers are often harbingers of important things that need to be fixed in the world. Kurosawa had deep rooted fears about the proliferation of nuclear power plants across his country and the world, even as the film acknowledges our collective desire for convenience. "Dreams" was made in 1990, a decade before Chernobyl, and three decades before the present disaster in Japan.

A dream is the subject of a painting donated by the artist Aya Takano, a sensitive and beautiful work entitled "I had a dream, in the aftermath of the disaster, water was gushing out from the mountains, and formed a pond." It is shown above with the artist., who spoke with members of the press through an interpreter. Takano said she stopped painting when the disaster struck her country. She could not paint any more. The present work marks her return to painting, donated for a worthy cause:

"Recently the artist has become fascinated with the cultural specificities of Japan, in particular the ancient Ainu pople of northern Japan and the fauna of the Amami Oshima islands off the southern coast. This new line of inquiry is indebted to Takano's love of science fiction and her interest in Sakyo Komatsu, one of Japans' most beloved writers of the genre. Takano was drawn to the author's studies of Japanese cultures and peoples. Inspired by Komatsu's photographs and illustrations, Takano began to incorporate the architecture and iconographies of ancient Japan" (New Day catalogue).

At the press preview at Gagosian Gallery I talked with MR., (through an interpreter), about his winsome painting "Okay," illustrated above, and about Japanese youth. MR. has an enthusiastic following among Japanese youth, so it is important to him that his work offers them hope at this very difficult time, he said. His painting, "Okay," depicts a young Japanese school girl. The title "Okay" is a call to move on, as if to say "okay, lets get moving!" to help our country, like a cheerleader.

In the catalogue "New Day - Art for Japan," MR. states:

"A half year has now passed since the events of 3.11. At first, I would watch and listen to the reports of television and the radio and think desperately...That I had to do someting. Now, however, I realize that the only thing I can do is to keep on painting. In selecting a theme for my work in this auction, I had a wide range of emotions to choose from: misery, hopelessness, despair, fear---I thought long and hard, but in the end, I chose hope. The ideal over present reality. I would rather look to the future than stare at this point where we stand now."

The catalogue offers some background on MR. and the Japanese artists whose work is included in this auction, who are all connected to Takashi Murakami:

"MR. can be identified with a movement in Japanese art known as 'Tokyo Pop' or 'Superflat.' The most recognized artist of this movement, Takashi Murakami hired MR. as his first studio assistant. Murakami further placed this Pop aesthetic at the forefront of the international avant-garde with his seminal three-part exhibition series. Superflat, Coloriage, and Little Boy toured Japan, Europe and the United States between 2000 and 2005 (and included MR., Yoshitomo Nara, and Aya Takano, among others). Like his fellow Superflat artists, MR. mines the Japanese subculture of okaku-a computer-geek culture characterized by an obsession with manga (comic books), anime (cartoons), and lolicon imagery (comics featuring Lolita-like girls) and celebrates the Japanese concept of kawaii or cuteness."

MR. and KAWS (Brian Donnelly) with "KAWSBOB ENTERS THE STRANGE FOREST" painted by KAWS in 2011. Photo copyright Michele Leight 2011

The artist KAWS donated a radiant and painterly piece for the auction, entitled "KAWSBOB ENTERS THE STRANGE FOREST," which I commented must have taken a long time:

"Yes, there are layers and layers of paint there...." he said with a smile. The catalogue offers further insights:

"In KAWSBOB ENTERS THE STRANGE FOREST," the artist has taken on a new subject. In addition to his appropriation of SpongeBob SquarePants, KAWS has borrowed from the work of his friend, Takashi Murakami. Murakami's "Rainbow Flower," 2006, serves as the compositional cue for KAWS' tondo; and like Murakami's, KAWS work is fastidiously rendered and polished. Whereas the original image featured a yellow smiling face surrounded by a halo of bright petals, KAWS has interjected his KAWSBob visage in the central disc. He further quotes Murakami in the title, referencing the seminal installation DOB in the Strange Forest, 1999. Here, the strange forest is the crossroads of art and mass media, it is the original world of KAWS."

The sale of this painting set a world auction record for KAWS.

Sadly, it is not possible to illustrate all the works of art donated for this auction - but all were memorable and of superb quality. Events like this are important and meaningful far beyond prices achieved for works of art - because of the effort, concern and heart manifested in all those that give in different ways. If a work sold for a fortune, or for a few dollars, it is equally meaningful, especially to those that might be watching far away, in circumstances we cannot imagine because we are not experiencing their pain. Many people made this auction happen, and it is that shared commitment that inspires hope, especially to those facing the "fall out" of the disaster, every day, in Japan.

On the morning of November 9th, Christie's auction room in New York was packed with auction goers, collectors and press. Francois Pinault and Larry Gagosian were in the front row: two people that were very instrumental in making this important event happen.

Takashi Murakami has been a generous donor to many causes for a long time - I wrote about his participation in Auction RED organized by Bono and Damien Hirst, on this site (Film and the Arts). Now he has an important cause of his own to support, which he described to those gathereed for the auction with dignity and gravity. His love and concern for his country was crystal clear. Murakami said the auction was timed for 9.30 am so that Asia, Europe - and the people of Japan - could watch the proceedings live, and join the bidding if they wished. He wanted the Japanese people to feel part of this effort.

Murakami introduced Ken Watanabe, who opened the auction with a moving reading from a beautiful poem "November 3rd," by Kenji Miazawa, that he also read on a website he created - Kizuna311 - to offer moral and emotional support to the Japanese people in the days immediately following the disaster. Ken Watanabe is an Oscar Nominated actor (for "The Last Samurai) whose film credits include roles in "Batman Begins," "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Inception" and "Letters from Iwo Jima" (an amazing film). Watanabe's deep, dignified voice brought back all his roles - but this one was really important, in real time, for a special and meaningful cause very dear to his heart.

The sale got off to a great start with active bidding in the room, but it took on another dimension as online bidders entered the spectacle:

"Good morning Hong Kong!" said auctioneer Andrea Fiuczynski enthusiastically - and the auction went global.

That was really exciting. Ms. Fiuczynski energized the room with her humor and kept things moving at an impressive pace. A young Japanese man seated next to me giggled along with me - spontaneously - when Yoshitomo Nara's cute little rocker Ramona - "Hey Ho Let's Go!" - was auctioned. The cutey pie sold for $ 350,000 to some lucky person.

"I like this work very much," said the Japanese man, smiling. Art keeps us young, whatever age we are.

The outcome of Francois Pinault's offer of help to Takashi Murakami on one of the worst days in Japan's history is an auction that raised vital funds for relief efforts - and also raised greater awareness for this disaster. The pre-sale estimate for the auction was in the region of $5 million. It raised $8,756,100, thanks to the extraordinary joint effort of all those involved in - and of course the buyers. It could not happen without them. In a message in the catalogue "New Day - Art for Japan," Francois Pinault states:

"It is to prevent victims being forgotten that I am very pleased to support this initiative by my friend Takashi Murakami, designed and developed by him in the initial days following the disaster. Takashi Murakami would not resign himself to inactivity. He had a duty to act and he did it his way, the noblest way possible - by calling on art and creativity to respond to the cry of thousands of Japanese victims."

After a fantastic result, Amy Cappellazzo, Chairman, Post-War and Contemporary Development at Christie's said: "Christie's is thrilled, happy and proud to be a part of this amazing philanthropic venture for such an important charitable event with Tasashi Murakami. The quality of works of art highlights the generosity of the many artists who donated pieces. Charity is an important component of our work at Christie's. but also in the contemporary art community as a whole. We are honored to help lift the lives and spirits of those in Japan after the tragedites that happened a few months ago by hosting such a top quality sale."

At the press preview - and the press conference after the very successfull auction - Takashi Murakami often cited the help and support he had received from Francois Pinault and Larry Gagosian. In a message included in the catalogue for this auction, Gagosian states:

"As well as providing hope, inspiration, and transcendence through the powers of the imagination, these artists have given generously in the form of special works to support this urgent cause. All proceeds from this outstanding effort will go to support selected NGOs that are already performing instrumental work on the ground in Japan....Now it's up to committed auction-goers and collectors: please place your bid and help Takashi Murakami create "a new day" for Japan!"

Well, auction-goers and collectors certainly placed their bids! Now, this money will help fund vital work that needs to be done to help turn around a serious situation in Japan.

It was moving to watch members of Japanese media at the press conference after the auction. Their deep concern for their country and people was keenly felt, and the large presence of international and American press at the auction was heartening to them. Media play a vital role in taking one event like this - with an important message about a universal issue - to all corners of the world. Japan is going to need help from the international community in the months ahead. Many nations rely on nuclear power to give them the energy they demand for a 21st century lifestyle. This disaster should be a wake up call that a natural disaster is bigger than all of us - bigger than our fancy technologies. In the years ahead, hopefully more precautions will be taken to safeguard innocent populations and the world from tragic evets like this.

The proceeds of this auction will benefit The Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Global Giving and International Medical Corps, who are at present providing relief to the survivors of the catastrophe, the effects of which continue to be devastating.

For those that might like to hear Ken Watanabe read the poem "November 3rd" by Kenji Miazawa, they may do so at the web site Kizuna311.

"Kizuna" means "bonds" - that tie us together.

The self portrait, illustrated below, by Takashi Murakami, contains the words "New Day...," symbolizing his hopes for his country, Japan.

Takashi Murakami, Ken Watanabe and the artists left a lasting impression - of hope.

(Since this story was posted, a CNN report reveals that workers at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility have discovered a leak of 45 metric tons of radioactive water, the operator Tokyo Electric Power Company said in a statement Monday December 5, 2011. At this time it is not clear whether the contaminated water reached the Pacific Ocean. The report stated that the water was found Sunday morning inside a barrier around an evaporative condensation apparatus, which is used to purify sea water used at the plant to cool reactors damaged in the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March).

Christies: www.christies.com

Takashi Murakami's Kaikai Kiki Ltd. http://en.gallery-kaikaikiki.com

International Medical Corps: www.InternationalMedicalCorps.org

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation-USA: www.spfusa.org

Global Giving: www.globalgiving.org

Kizuna311: kizuna311.com/english & on youTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5T3t9rYcjw