The big news coming out of the Contemporary Arts Center is that anime artist Takashi Murakami is coming to Cincinnati to give a lecture Feb. 10.

        In conjunction with the museum's much anticipated My Reality exhibition of Japanese and American anime (animation) opening Jan. 26, Mr. Murakami will speak at 3 p.m. at the Skyline Ballroom at the Crowne Plaza hotel, 15 W. Sixth St., downtown.

        A thirtysomething superstar on both sides of the Pacific, his “Superflat'' paintings and life-sized cyborgs combine the aesthetics of Japanese woodcuts and traditional painting with the hyperactive precision of computer-generated graphics.

        Mr. Murakami, a featured artist in the My Reality exhibit, is considered a cultural change agent responsible for explaining much on the complexities of Japanese identity post World War II.

        The lecture is $5, $3 for students and free to CAC members. To guarantee seating, RSVP to 345-8420. The lecture is expected to sell out.

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