8 best art exhibitions showing in Osaka right now

In her 1961 text 'For the Placard', Japanese artist Mitsuko Tabe (1933–2024) proposed that a placard – a vessel for messages often associated with protest – has the power to capture the energy of the public and even instigate social change. The text is also often seen as the manifesto of an artist who consciously engaged with social movements throughout her career.

Taking Tabe’s thought as a point of departure, this exhibition brings together seven artists, including Tabe, whose works are rooted in their own lived experiences and reflect on life and human dignity. Through their art, these artists draw attention to experiences and emotions often marginalised in society, while questioning existing systems and structures. As viewers, we are invited to re-examine the society we live in, reflect on its history, explore modes of resistance, and ponder the meaning of expression.

Note: This exhibition is closed on Mondays (except January 12) and January 13. Tickets include admission to the concurrent Collection 2 exhibition. 

Step into the world of Gustav Klimt, the celebrated Austrian symbolist painter and a key figure in both the Vienna Secession and the Art Nouveau movements. The ‘Klimt Alive’ exhibition offers a breathtaking and immersive journey through Klimt’s iconic masterpieces, where projection mapping and classical music bring his vibrant works to life.

Experience the stunning beauty of The Kiss, one of the art world’s most renowned paintings, as it’s projected onto the walls and floor to create a 360-degree multisensory environment. At this cutting-edge exhibition, you’ll be literally stepping inside his art. Additionally, the exhibition also features captivating photo spots and exclusive merchandise.

This exhibition is closed on December 10 as well as from December 30 to January 1.

This fan-favourite touring exhibition, which wrapped up its Tokyo run just last month, has arrived in Osaka. Held in the gallery space of the Kitamura Camera store in Namba City, the showcase celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Ultraman series, which first aired in the 1960s.

The exhibition features dramatic photographs recreating iconic scenes from the original show. Using cutting-edge photography techniques, the works highlight the series’s legendary special effects, from the monsters and the explosions to the action sequences.

Here you’ll also find a selection of original exhibition merchandise, including some of the most popular items from the Tokyo show.

The National Museum of Art, Osaka’s regular Collection exhibitions offer a glimpse into the museum’s extensive holdings, which span primarily from the 19th to early 20th century. Collection 2, however, adds a special feature to complement the usual Collection Highlights.

Titled ‘The Imaginative Power of the 21st Century’, the special presentation reflects on the first 25 years of this century, exploring both our current state of affairs and the trajectory ahead. At the turn of the millennium, few could have predicted the sweeping changes that had come to completely transform our lives, values and perspectives. This exhibition examines our recent history through contemporary works created over the past quarter-century.

The Collection Highlights section is lighter in subject matter, showcasing some of the museum’s most iconic works alongside recent acquisitions. Notable new additions include pieces by Joseph Beuys, Takashi Murakami, Maureen Gallace and Maria Farrar.

Generally speaking, surrealism has become synonymous with Salvador Dali and his iconic images of melting clocks, ants and elephants with long, spindly legs. However, the movement has evolved far beyond those otherworldly motifs since Andre Breton first defined the term in 1924.

Characterised by dream-like atmospheres and unsettling imagery, surrealism was initially an artistic expression focussed on exploring the subconscious mind, spurred on by Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis theories. But over the decades, its influence has penetrated many aspects of everyday life.

A century after its emergence, this exhibition at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka brings together a comprehensive selection of masterpieces from collections across Japan to showcase surrealism’s wide-ranging reach. These works allow you to explore how the movement has shaped everything from advertising and fashion to interior design, and witness its enduring impact on culture.

Since opening in 1982 with the renowned Ataka Collection of Chinese and Korean ceramics, the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka has expanded steadily over the past forty years. The museum owes much of this growth to the generosity of donors, among them Dr. Lee Byeong-Chang, who gifted a significant assemblage of Korean works. This expansive exhibition highlights both the depth and quality of these contributions.

The main highlight is the Shokei Collection, which is being exhibited for the first time ever. This remarkable array of tea utensils from China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan includes scoops, kettles, hanging scrolls and a rare 12th-century waka (a traditional form of Japanese poetry) manuscript fragment, along with many other implements essential to the tea ceremony.

Also on display are exceptional Chinese ceramic wine vessels from the Iriye Masanobu Collection, and a comprehensive historical grouping of Chinese ceramics from the Hakutoro Collection. Additionally, the series of burial figurines and mingqi (spirit objects) from the Umino Nobuyoshi Collection dates from the Han to the Tang dynasties.

The exhibition further includes a selection of Korean ceramics and related materials formerly owned by Asakawa Noritaka, an influential scholar who helped introduce the beauty of Korean ceramics to Japan.