Fred Lee’s Social Network: Octopus, poker aces all in on arts, arthritis

Octopus in Vanhattan
One of this generation’s most influential and successful artists, Takashi Murakami headlines the Vancouver Art Gallery’s latest exhibition.
In the same stratosphere as Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Douglas Coupland, the Japanese artist’s works — some 50 pieces — have taken over the gallery walls for his first retrospective exhibition and solo exhibition in Canada.
Bright, bold, psychedelic and extremely colourful, the pop paintings elicit smiles,