PARIS—“I feel like an old man. My inspiration is shrinking, my concentration is not good. I am tired,” Takashi Murakami, 47, says in an interview with the London Times published today. As the king of Japanese contemporary art prepares for a solo exhibition at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin in Paris, he is speaking openly about the state of the art market, his legacy, and his upcoming plans.

Murakami notes the change in the market, saying that the "art industry" that Damien Hirst helped to generate "is slipping away and so we have to think of new creative ideas, in fashion, TV, and so on. There are many possibilities." He admits to worrying about supporting all of the artists that he employs.

His show at Emmanuel Perrotin is entitled "Takashi Murakami Paints Self-Portraits," a relatively new subject for an artist who has long been known for his trademark cartoon characters, and he seems to be wondering aloud how he will be remembered. "Important artists such as Van Gogh and Warhol all left self-portraits that later appeared in their retrospectives," he says. Death is on his mind. He states, "I’m not sure I can survive the next ten years."

Though Murakami says that he feels "like an old man," he certainly still seems to be keeping a rigorous schedule. His next major project will be a full room at the Tate Modern’s "Pop Life" show, which opens on Oct. 1, where he’ll be showing alongside artists like Kippenberger, Koons, Haring, and Hirst. He says to expect a collaboration with Kanye West and a video with Kirsten Dunst.

Read more at the London Times.