Get ready to step into the wonderfully weird world of Takashi Murakami, the renowned Japanese contemporary artist who founded the ‘Superflat’ movement in 2000. Opening at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on December 5, Takashi Murakami: When the Mountain is High, the Moon Rises Higher is the artist’s first Australian retrospective, presented exclusively in Sydney as part of the 2026–27 Sydney International Art Series.
Spanning more than 30 years of Murakami’s career, the exhibition brings together more than 150 works, many never previously seen in Australia. Expect everything from giant smiling flowers, colourful anime characters, enormous paintings and sculptures to video and immersive installations, charting the artist’s fascination with the intersection of tradition, technology, fantasy, commerce and popular culture.
At the heart of the exhibition are two immersive environments: a darkened gallery centred on Hexagonal Double-Helix Tower (Rokkaku Rasendō), surrounded by monumental paintings of Kyoto’s four guardian deities – the dragon, tiger, phoenix and tortoise. Further on, a dazzling golden room, with gilded walls and floors, sets the scene for lavish paintings and a golden sculpture inspired by five centuries of Japanese art history.
Murakami’s spectacular large-scale paintings are another highlight, including Japan Supernatural, Dragon in Clouds – Indigo Blue and Cherry Blossoms Fujiyama JAPAN. At 25 metres long, Judgement Day is the largest painting in the exhibition, created using thousands of silkscreens and packed with references to Japanese Edo-period woodblock prints.
Then there’s the Tank gallery, where Murakami has teamed up with Japanese architectural firm VUILD to create a monumental, temple-inspired installation exploring his life and creative practice. A five-metre-tall smiling figure welcomes visitors at the entrance.
Across seven galleries, the exhibition introduces Murakami’s iconic characters, Kaikai and Kiki, as well as Mr DOB. There’s also a new digital commission for the Art Gallery’s 20-metre screen, inspired by Cherry Blossoms Fujiyama JAPAN 2020, which shifts through the seasons and changing light.
Takashi Murakami: When the Mountain is High, the Moon Rises Higher runs from December 5, 2026 to July 18, 2027.
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