Exhibitions & Events

“Osaka City Central Public Hall Projection Mapping” from December 11; Snow, Stars and Santa Claus on an Important Cultural Property, Free to Watch

As the centerpiece of OSAKA Hikari-Renaissance 2026 in Nakanoshima, Osaka, images will be projected onto the east facade of Osaka City Central Public Hall, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. The event runs for 15 days, from Friday, December 11 to Friday, December 25, with screenings from 17:30 to 21:30. Viewing is free and no reservation is required. Here is a guide to the highlights, screening times, other events in Nakanoshima during the same period, and access.

“Hiroshima Castle Winter Wander 2026” from December 18; First-Ever Projection Mapping on the Keep, Free to View

A nighttime event projecting images onto the keep, the Omote-gomon Gate and the stone walls of Hiroshima Castle will be held from December 18 to January 11, 2027. According to Hiroshima City, it is the first projection mapping on the keep; admission is free and no advance application is required.

“Hakuin World” at the Eisei Bunko Museum and Waseda University’s Aizu Museum: The First Joint Project Linking the Collections of Moritatsu Hosokawa and Shigenori Tomioka

The first joint project of the Eisei Bunko Museum (Bunkyo City) and the Waseda University Aizu Museum (Shinjuku City) presents paintings and calligraphy by the Edo-period Zen monk Hakuin Ekaku at both venues. The Eisei Bunko Museum’s exhibition runs until Sunday, November 29, and the Aizu Museum’s until Tuesday, December 8; admission to the latter is free.

National Archives of Japan’s “Playful Spirits” Is Free Until December 6: Edo-Period Books and Records Featuring Kappa and Mermaids

The National Archives of Japan’s exhibition “Playful Spirits: Yokai and Fantastic Beasts in the Edo Period” is being held at its Tokyo main building in Takebashi. It presents records of the uncanny written down by people of the Edo period, including the “Suiko Koryaku,” which shows five different scenes of kappa. Until Sunday, December 6, free admission.

“Uketsu’s Strange World Exhibition.” in Tennoz Until January 17: A One-Third-Scale Model of the “Strange Houses” Home and 11 Floor Plans in 3D

The first large-scale exhibition by horror writer Uketsu, known for “Strange Houses,” is being held at Warehouse TERRADA’s G1 Building in Tennoz. It features a one-third-scale model of the house from the story, models of 11 floor plans and a “forest” visitors can walk through. Until Sunday, January 17, 2027, with timed entry on weekends, holidays and during the winter vacation.

“Seeds and Roots: Cultivating the City” at Tokyo Opera City Until December 20: Ten Artists from Art, Architecture and Fashion

Taking the new ecosystems that arise in the gaps of the city as a clue, this exhibition explores ways to restore our connection with nature. Ten artists from contemporary art, architecture and fashion reconsider the city through everyday activities such as living, wearing and eating. Until Sunday, December 20; ¥1,800 for adults.

Shinjuku’s Permanent VR Theater “Storydive Theater WAHHHP”: Walk Through Gaudí and the Titanic

On the 10th floor of a building a 1-minute walk from JR Shinjuku Station is a permanent theater where visitors wear VR headsets and walk around. “Gaudí, the Atelier of the Divine” is scheduled to run until December 31, and “TITANIC: Echoes from the Past,” which began on October 23, until February 28, 2027.

“VIVANT IMMERSIVE MISSION” in Kyobashi Until November 27: Nine Missions Among the Drama’s Filming Sets

An interactive event in Kyobashi, Tokyo, lets visitors tour the filming sets of the TBS drama “VIVANT” and take on missions guided by the characters’ voices heard through an app. It runs until Friday, November 27, with timed-entry tickets from ¥2,500 for adults and university students.

GLOW Eindhoven 2026 Opens November 7 with the Theme “CONNECT” and the City’s First Drone Show

GLOW, the light festival in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, opened on November 7. The theme is “CONNECT.” The roughly 5 km route is free, and at the Philips Stadion the festival will stage what the organizers call the city’s first drone show.

DATALAND, a Museum of AI Arts, Opens in Los Angeles: Inaugural Exhibition Runs Through January 31, 2027, with Tickets from $49

DATALAND, a “museum of AI arts” co-founded by Refik Anadol, opened in Los Angeles in June 2026. Its inaugural exhibition, in which AI trained on data from nature generates images and scents, runs through January 31, 2027.

The 16th Gwangju Biennale Runs Through November 15: Artistic Director Ho Tzu Nyen Gathers 43 Participants in a Single Building

The 16th Gwangju Biennale, with Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen as artistic director, is on view in Gwangju, South Korea, through Sunday, November 15. It brings 43 artists and groups together in a single building, including 60 paintings by Tokyo-based Sasaki Ken.

London’s Lightroom Shows Bowie and Aardman Through January 2027, Projected onto Four 11 m Walls and the Floor

Lightroom, the immersive venue in King’s Cross, London, opened a David Bowie show in April 2026 and a show marking Aardman’s 50th anniversary in October. The Bowie show runs until January 10, 2027, and the Aardman show until January 4.

Hong Kong’s M+ Marks Its Fifth Anniversary in 2026: A 400-Work “Myths and Monsters” Exhibition and Over 10.4 Million Visitors to Date

M+ in West Kowloon, Hong Kong, marks its fifth anniversary in November, and in October it opened a special exhibition tracing fantasy in Asian art through more than 400 works. According to its 2025 annual report, it has welcomed more than 10.4 million visitors since opening.

The 61st Venice Biennale Runs Through November 22: Awards Decided by Visitor Vote After Jury Resigns; Ei Arakawa-Nash at the Japan Pavilion

The 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh, runs through Sunday, November 22. After the jury resigned, the awards are being decided by visitor vote, and Ei Arakawa-Nash’s Japan Pavilion exhibition travels to Tokyo in 2027.

Yayoi Kusama Retrospective at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam Through January 17, 2027: The Third Venue After Basel and Cologne Becomes a Memorial Exhibition

A retrospective of Yayoi Kusama, who died on August 14 at the age of 97, is on view at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam until January 17, 2027. It is the third stop on a tour that began in Switzerland and Germany, and the museum says the retrospective has become a memorial exhibition.

Contemporary Craft Exhibition “Aikyakuko” at Kyoto’s Ginkaku-ji Ran Until November 10, with Tomioka Tessai’s Sliding-Door Paintings in a Normally Closed Study Hall

Works by 16 artists using clay, lacquer, glass and other materials were shown in the study hall and Shuhoken of Higashiyama Jishoji. The exhibition was supervised by Hiromi Kurosawa, former chief curator of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. Advance registration was required, and admission, including temple entry, was ¥3,000.

Tokyo Jazz Club Ran in Kanda Nishikicho Until November 8: Art and Live Music on All Eight Floors of a Former Capsule Hotel

For eight days, a former capsule hotel near Jimbocho became a space for contemporary art, live performance and social exchange. The first edition, held in partnership with Art Week Tokyo, also scheduled a joint talk by Theaster Gates and Arthur Jafa.

AI Artist Emi Kusano’s Solo Exhibition “End of Nostalgia” Opens November 14 in Hanno, Saitama

The exhibition presents new works such as “Memory Metabolism,” made of stacked TV monitors, along with about 25 prints from the “Ornament Survival” series. Advance tickets go on sale October 23.

Oita Bamboo Craft Event “Take-e” Ran at the Oita Prefectural Art Museum Until November 8, with Live Making, a Bamboo Market and a Lighting Ceremony

In Oita, said to be Japan’s top producer of madake bamboo, this event showed how a single stalk of bamboo becomes an object. Exhibitions and live making by bamboo artists, workshops and a bamboo market ran for 12 days, with light-ups starting from the lighting ceremony.