Murakami Sets His Sights on Sydney

Australia’s first major retrospective of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami is scheduled to open at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) in Sydney on December 5. The exhibition will run until July 18, 2027.

The Murakami show will span his diverse artistic output, from paintings, sculptures and video to large-scale installations. He is best known for his Superflat aesthetic, drawing on Japanese art traditions such as nihonga painting and folklore, while incorporating elements of contemporary pop culture and digital art.

Among the exhibition highlights will be new work currently being created in Murakami’s studio.

AGNSW director Maud Page said: "We revel in our longstanding relationship with Murakami and are so thrilled to be collaborating in the development of this exhibition," a reference to the museum's 2019 commission of the artist who created, Japan Supernatural: Vertiginous After Staring at the Empty World Too Intensely, I Found Myself Trapped in the Realm of Lurking Ghosts and Monsters for the Sydney International Art Series.