Takashi Murakami
‘Japan Supernatural…’ 2019 (detail)

Japan Supernatural: Ghosts, Goblins and Monsters 1700s to Now

Discover a fascinating world in an exhibition like no other, featuring over 180 wildly imaginative works by Japanese artists past and present.

Step into the shadows and come face-to-face with an astonishing array of phenomenal beings in Japan supernatural, where ghosts, goblins and mischievous shapeshifters inhabit a spirit realm. See Japan’s folklore brought to life in magnificent paintings, large-scale installations, miniature carvings and humorous illustrations, and explore the vibrant ukiyo-e woodblock prints that define the tradition of the supernatural in Japanese art.

Centred on a monumental installation of painting and sculpture by Takashi Murakami, the exhibition features some of the greatest Japanese artists of the past, including Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, alongside contemporary artists such as Chiho Aoshima, Fuyuko Matsui and Miwa Yanagi, who continue the compelling creative lineage of visualising the unseen.

Don’t miss this unique Art Gallery of New South Wales curated exhibition: an experience unlike anything in this world.

Presented in collaboration with the Sydney International Art Series.

https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/supernatural/

Utagawa Kuniyoshi
‘Mitsukuni defies the skeleton spectre conjured up by Princess Takiyasha’ 1845–46 (detail)

Hiroharu Itaya
‘Night procession of one hundred demons’ circa 1820 (detail)

Takashi Murakami
‘In the Land of the Dead, Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow’ 2014 (detail)

Kawanabe Kyōsai
‘School for spooks (Bakebake gakko) no 3’ 1874 (detail)