Takashi Murakami is one of the most influential and recognisable contemporary artists of our time. Immerse yourself in a Murakami takeover of the Art Gallery’s Naala Badu building with a major retrospective in the Ainsworth Family Gallery and the global premiere of new work in the atmospheric Nelson Packer Tank.

Developed by the Art Gallery in collaboration with Takashi Murakami, this Sydney-exclusive exhibition reveals the evolution of Murakami’s signature ‘Superflat’ aesthetic – where art, subculture and commercial imagery meld with diverse influences from anime to historical Japanese painting. Early works demonstrate his search for a visual language that could respond to a rapidly globalising Japan, while later paintings and sculptures expand this inquiry into a vibrant universe populated by cartoon-like characters, smiling flowers and feverish, saturated scenes populated with legendary figures.

Spanning 30 years and more than 150 works, the exhibition traces his practice from the explosive innovations of the 1990s to a suite of new works currently being created in the artist’s studio. Bringing together paintings, sculptures, video and large-scale installations, the exhibition charts the artist’s emergence as a defining figure of contemporary art and popular culture, and reveals how Murakami bridges tradition and technology, humour and critique, the playful and the profound.

A defining force in contemporary visual culture, Murakami is often compared to Andy Warhol and is celebrated for high‑profile collaborations with cultural icons such as Issey Miyake, Virgil Abloh, Marc Jacobs, Pharrell Williams, BLACKPINK, NewJeans and Billie Eilish, as well as brands including Louis Vuitton, Hublot and Dom Perignon.