DESIGNBOOM’S TOUR THROUGH OSAKA ART & DESIGN 2026
Osaka Art & Design (OAD) 2026 returns to transform the city’s streets, galleries and industrial landmarks in an expansive creative trail that runs until June 23. Entering this year’s edition, the event reveals a distinct change in direction, taking on a noticeably more artistic character than its previous iterations. Under the fresh, art-focused curatorial vision of producer Shinichiro Masui, OAD 2026 builds on its design roots to cultivate a deeper, more ambitious art dialogue in the urban landscape. Guided by the theme ‘Infinitize Your Creation / Imagination’, it acts as a playground of imagination with a range of global artists and factory which incorporate expressive artistic practices open to interpretation.
From typographic works to tactile sculptures, the OAD 2026 program is anchored in focused curatorial narratives and immersive, special facilitiesfostering a deeper awareness of contemporary art. designboom kicks off the official press tour to bring you the most exciting snaps from the other side Osaka – scroll down to see our featured selection.
Osaka Art & Design 2026 | all images © designboom
“AUTONOMA” ADDRESSES THE CONCEPT OF THE CONTROLLED WORLD
The journey into Osaka’s creative scene begins right at the W Osaka Hotel, an official partner of OAD that serves as designboom’s accommodation during the event. Renowned for its bold, playful interior design that reflects the high-energy spirit of the city, the hotel acts as an extension of the event itself. On the first floor of the art hotel, visitors encounter an unexpected intersection of technology and art:AUTONOMICby xorium studio.
The site-specific installation, which runs until June 23, addresses the concept of a “controlled world” through the metaphorical use of drifting bubbles. An elegant device continuously creates a subtle stream of spheres, each bubble symbolizing a human acting as an independent entity. As they float through space, they touch, squeeze together, and occasionally repel each other, eventually merging into a single, expansive stream. Fragile enough to disappear at the slightest touch, these bubbles flexibly adapt to changing air currents, serving as a visually captivating metaphor for how humanity can navigate and thrive in an ever-evolving world.
The bubble installation serves as a visually captivating metaphor for humanity
WOOD, CONCRETE AND METAL TRANSLATED INTO SCULPTURED ALPHABETS
Inside PARCO’s gallery space, Takenobu Igarashi’s ‘Tribute AZThe exhibition, from May 22 to June 14, continues a long-standing collaboration between the designer and the creative hub. The showcase bridges both Igarashi’s typographic work with his physical sculptural practice, including large-scale alphabet forms that explore materials such as wood, concrete and metal. Beyond the gallery walls, a bench of logo-themed building blocks forms an outdoor installation.
“AZ Homage” exhibition originally organized in Hokkaido to celebrate the 50th anniversary of PARCO Hokkaido
FROM MONOCOLOR CANVAS TO PLAYFUL WOODEN SCULPTURES
At the Hankyu Umeda flagship store, artist Yuichiro Hirako builds a cohesive, narrative identity throughout the department store with his exhibition.NO NATUREopen until June 22. Hirako transforms the main entrance into a huge monochrome canvas covered in hand-drawn designs. Upon entering, the black and white graphic gives way to an installation of wooden sculptures placed within the space’s atrium. Hirako’s playful characters and reimagined nature motifs, using a colorful design language, directly channel the humorous spirit of Osaka’s cultural landscape.
Yuichiro Hirako’s artwork channels the humorous spirit of Osaka
THE FORMER SHIPYARD BECOME A STAGE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
Reinforcing the impression of an increasingly ambitious, interconnected local art scene, the tour intersected with the partner event OSAKA ART‘s Expanded Section in Kitakagaya from May 28th to June 1st. Hosted at Creative Center Osaka in the former Namura Shipyard, the exhibition uses a space that preserves the memory of Japan’s modern industrial heritage. Spread over several floors, the showcase escapes the conventional limitations of the gallery. Instead, large-scale installations and site-specific works of contemporary art are staged through the rugged architecture, creating an immersive museum-like experience.
Large-scale ART OSAKA exhibition spread over three floors between different artists
HANDKNITTING WEAVES COLLECTIVE MEMORIES
Maito Otake transforms soft, hand-woven fabric into a three-dimensional sculpture with “Weave, Connect, Open‘. Located in a busy central urban hub until June 23, the project anchors the natural flow of the city. The installation represents the literal and metaphorical nodes that connect time, collective memory and local culture. With this monument the artist creates a poetic conduit, connecting historical narratives.
