• The first major exhibition to explore fantasy in Asia alongside the shifting socio-political realities of the past two centuries, supported by Lead Sponsor HSBC, Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia spans pre-modern mythology and traditions, surrealism, anime, manga, and other forms of contemporary visual culture
• Unfolding across four sections, the Special Exhibition showcases more than 400 works across a wide range of genres and styles, presenting fantastical aesthetics in art, architecture, fashion, video games, film, and more
• Through works by artists such as Ayoung Kim, Cao Fei, Ho Tzu Nyen, KongKee, Takashi Murakami, and LuYang, audiences can explore how artists have adapted fantastical anime aesthetics to reflect on contemporary issues
• The exhibition examines the visual imagery of fantasy and its symbolic role in popular culture, featuring classic characters such as Godzilla, Astro Boy, and the iconic Ultraman series. It illustrates how these figures have inspired public imagination and left a lasting influence on cultural history
• The exhibition introduces Fear Catcher (2026), a newly commissioned site-specific mural by the Helsinki-based Hong Kong artist Oscar Chan Yik Long, inspired by Zhong Kui, a deity from Chinese mythology
• The exhibition publication Myths, Monsters, and Manga: The Art of Fantasy in Asia launches at the M+ Shop, along with exclusive merchandise featuring designs inspired by Godzilla, Kenji Yanobe’s SHIP’S CAT (Hope) and SHIP'S CAT (Ultra Muse), KongKee’s distinctive visual language, Oscar Chan’s Fear Catcher, and Ho Tzu Nyen’s Night March of Hundred Monsters
• The exhibition presents Fantastical Planet, an in-gallery digital interactive game that invites visitors to create their own fantastical creatures, bringing their imaginations to life

M+, Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) in Hong Kong, is proud to present Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia, a Special Exhibition that explores the role of fantasy in the evolution of Asian visual culture and its global impact. Spanning the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries, this is the first major survey that traces how artists use fantasy to navigate the world and the times they live in. Generously supported by M+ Lead Partner and exhibition Lead Sponsor HSBC, Major Sponsor Cathay, with additional support from The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, the exhibition will be on view at the West Gallery at M+ from Saturday, 17 October 2026 to Sunday, 4 April 2027.

Artists across Asia have long used imaginative stories, characters, and universes to confront complex realities. From Tibetan Buddhist scrolls to Surrealist dreamscapes to anime’s fictional worlds, this groundbreaking exhibition reveals how supernatural and fantastical storytelling have evolved in response to shifting socio-political conditions. At a time when virtual avatars and other digital imagery become increasingly embedded in everyday life, it also explores the continuing relevance of fantasy in visual culture today. Showcasing more than 400 works across contemporary art, architecture, fashion, video games, and film, this cross-disciplinary presentation features the many forms that fantasy has taken place in Asian visual culture.

The exhibition shows that fantasy is far more than mere escapism—it is a powerful way of reimagining the world. By harnessing supernatural, magical, speculative, and futuristic elements, artists consider social realities and offer diverse visions across time. Through the stories and worlds they create, they use fantasy to make sense of lived experience and reflect on the conditions of contemporary life.

Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia unfolds across four sections. Organised both chronologically and thematically, it reveals the historical connections among different artistic traditions and mediums that have rarely been explored, while highlighting how they continue to move fluidly across disciplines and regions in the twenty‑first century.

Spirits Among Us: Fantasy in the 1800s

From pre-modern times to the present, fantastical imagery—manifested in powerful deities and mythological creatures such as ghosts, monsters, and supernatural beings—has permeated Asian folklore and spirituality. The stories surrounding these figures animate philosophical lessons and address taboo subjects. This section contextualises the longstanding role of fantasy in East Asian cultures as a means of expressing collective desires for safety, protection, and prosperity. It brings together ukiyo-e woodblock prints, Chinese shadow puppets, Tibetan Buddhist thangkas, and a range of vernacular objects. Also on view is Fear Catcher (2026), a new commission by the Helsinki-based Hong Kong artist Oscar Chan Yik Long. The site-specific mural is inspired by Zhong Kui, a deity from Chinese mythology known as the King of Ghosts. In Chan’s interpretation, Zhong Kui can be seen as a figure for recognising one’s own fears and learning to let them go.

Strange Realities: Surrealism and Asia

The exhibition then turns to Surrealism, an artistic and literary movement that emerged in Europe after World War I (1914–1918) and drew on the power of the unconscious mind. Asian artists in Paris, such as Pang Hiunkin and Okamoto Taro, adopted its bizarre and seemingly illogical visual language to grapple with the destruction of war and social instability, later carrying these ideas into their art in Asia. Works in this section explore the global history of Surrealism, bringing pieces by European artists Giorgio de Chirico, Salvador Dalí, and René Magritte into dialogue with Asian artists including Kim Younghwan, Pratuang Emjaroen, Harue Koga, and others. From China, Japan, and Korea to Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand, these artists developed distinct surrealist languages rooted in their own cultural histories and experiences.

From Godzilla to Ghost in the Shell: Fantasy Meets Pop Culture

Following World War II (1939–1945), Japanese popular culture began to capture the imagination of international audiences. Tezuka Osamu, known as the Father of Manga, introduced his manga Astro Boy (1952), which was later adapted into anime. Meanwhile, the film Godzilla (1954) has transformed into a global cinematic sensation. This section examines how these widely recognised fantastical worlds opened new spaces to explore loss, social upheaval, and the hope for a better world. It also spotlights iconic creators and works of manga, anime, video games, and more. Works that visitors will encounter include drawings from Cardcaptor Sakura (2016–2023), background paintings from anime blockbusters such as Ghost in the Shell (1995), showcasing the creative expressions of pop culture across different media.

New Mythologies: Asian Fantasy Goes Global

Bringing visitors into the globalised present, the final section considers contemporary artistic responses to anime and manga. Inspired by age-old stories as well as urgent contemporary issues, artists working across visual art, design, architecture, moving image, and digital culture investigate themes such as fluid identity, technological anxiety, and reimagined mythologies. Highlights include works by Fujimori Terunobu, Ayoung Kim, Lawrence Lek, Takashi Murakami, Ho Tzu Nyen, Philippe Parreno, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Windowsen, and LuYang.

Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director, M+, says, ‘M+ is committed to presenting exhibitions that connect Asia’s cultural heritage with global conversations. Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia features more than 400 works across art, architecture, fashion, film, and digital media, underscoring the cross‑disciplinary nature of fantasy as a powerful influence in visual culture. The exhibition offers fresh insights into the region’s creative contributions to global cultural history and their enduring influence on new generations. As AI‑generated imagery, virtual avatars, gaming, and cinematic universes saturate everyday life, this timely presentation illuminates how artists in Asia use fantasy to address socio‑political realities across time.’

Doryun Chong, Artistic Director and Chief Curator, M+, says, ‘Since its opening, M+ has consistently organised and presented exhibitions that examine the history of contemporary visual art and culture through transnational, transgenerational, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary methods. Our exhibitions have also proposed new innovative genealogies for understanding the aesthetics and symbolisms of the visual imagery in which we are immersed in our daily life. Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia is the latest example that further expands M+’s broad purview and extends the museum’s unique perspective.

Exhibition co-curators, Ulanda Blair, Curator, Moving Image, M+, and Isabella Tam, Curator, Visual Art, M+, say, ‘Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia examines how fantastical storytelling has been imagined, appropriated, and transformed across the region for more than two centuries. From mythological epics and religious cosmologies to manga, anime, and beyond, the exhibition traces the evolving visual languages of fantasy in dialogue with shifting cultural, social, and political contexts. We hope visitors will not only encounter the richness of Asia’s visual culture but also reflect on how fantasy continues to shape contemporary life—and how it offers new ways of seeing, questioning, and imagining the world around us.’

Janet Pang, Managing Director, Head of Retail Business, Retail Banking & Wealth, Hong Kong, HSBC, says: “Myths and monsters have always helped societies make sense of change and imagine what lies beyond the present. That same power of imagination and reinvention is essential to progress in banking—and to Hong Kong’s future. A vibrant cultural scene strengthens our city’s competitiveness as an international financial centre, attracting talent, visitors and investment, and supporting the long-term prosperity of our customers and community. As we mark the fifth anniversary of our Lead Partnership with M+, HSBC is proud to support Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia, our sixth Special Exhibition together.”

Myths and Monsters: The Art of Fantasy in Asia is co-curated by Ulanda Blair, Curator, Moving Image, M+, and Isabella Tam, Curator, Visual Art, M+. They are supported by Christine Lee, Assistant Curator, M+, and Savannah Shiu, Special Project Assistant, M+.

To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, M+ will host an opening ceremony this evening attended by Paulo Pong, Chairman of the M+ Board; Betty Fung, Chief Executive Officer, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority; Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director, M+; Doryun Chong, Artistic Director and Chief Curator, M+; Ulanda Blair, Curator, Moving Image, M+; Isabella Tam, Curator, Visual Art, M+; Janet Pang, Managing Director, Head of Retail Business, Retail Banking & Wealth, Hong Kong, HSBC; Jessica Lee, Head of Brand and Content, Cathay; and Anas Bencheqroun, Multi-property General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong and W Hong Kong, The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong.

Public programmes

M+ will host a series of public programmes to complement the exhibition and extend the experience for visitors. On Saturday, 17 October 2026, the exhibition’s opening day, M+ will host the opening talk Living Legends: Exploring Supernatural Forces in Asian Visual Culture at the Grand Stair. The talk will examine the enduring influence of supernatural forces on artistic practice, storytelling, and popular imagination. Moderated by Ulanda Blair, Curator, Moving Image, M+ and Isabella Tam, Curator, Visual Art, M+, the discussion will feature artist Oscar Chan Yik Long; Melanie Eastburn, Senior Curator of Asian Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney; Ueda Chikaho, Director of the Yumoto Koichi Memorial JAPAN YOKAI MUSEUM (Miyoshi Mononoke Museum), Hiroshima; and Sookyung Yoo, Researcher at the Kyoto Seika University International Manga Research Center. Drawing on artistic, curatorial, and academic perspectives, the speakers will explore how supernatural narratives have travelled between religious and artistic traditions, folklore, and popular cultures around the world, inspiring visual storytelling while evolving through retellings and reinterpretation. Further details about this free opening talk are available on the M+ website.

M+ will also present a range of family-friendly and young people programmes throughout the exhibition period. On selected Sundays from January to March 2027, M+ will host six Family Days featuring activities inspired by fantasy. Children of all ages and their families are invited to explore the exhibition’s richly creative, imaginative worlds together.

Visitors with exhibition admission tickets can join free guided activities such as pop-up chats held daily at designated times, led by M+ Guides who will introduce the exhibition’s key themes and featured works. Curator-led tours in October and November 2026 will give visitors an opportunity to learn more about the exhibition’s curatorial approach, research context, and lesser-known stories behind the works on view. M+ also offers a range of guided tours and learning programmes designed for audiences of different backgrounds and needs, welcoming participants from primary schools, special schools, community centres, and other organisations and inviting them to engage with the exhibition through interactive activities. The exhibition provides a free, self-guided audio guide tour featuring ten interviews of selected artists, curators, collectors, researchers, and fans in addition to audio descriptions that support a more accessible museum experience.

Screenings

To complement the exhibition, M+ Cinema Autumn Edition presents Mamoru Oshii’s seminal anime masterpieces Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004), followed by a post-screening talk with Hiroko Myokam, anime archivist and curator, and Ulanda Blair, Curator, Moving Image, M+. Their conversation will explore the futuristic world of the films and original background art by Shuichi Kusamori that is featured in the exhibition.

In the M+ Cinema Winter Edition, Monsters Among Us brings together eight ‘creature features’ from around the world. The thematic screening programme features Hua Shan’s Super Inframan (1975), widely regarded as the first Chinese superhero film, and Yu Shui’s 2D animated box-office hit Nobody (2025). It also includes Guillermo del Toro’s creature-effects masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), Bong Joon-ho’s searing social allegory The Host (2006), and Ali Abbasi’s Border (2018), winner of the Un Certain Regard Award at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Together, these cinematic monsters disturb the boundaries between human and animal, hero and villain, fantasy and politics, and self and society, revealing repressed cultural anxieties and desires.

Continuing the fantastical monster theme, the Winter Edition of Art at the Stair features two episodes from Takashi Murakami’s rarely screened short anime series Kaikai & Kiki (2007–2008), showing on a continuous loop daily and free of charge at the Grand Stair. Details of the M+ Cinema Winter Edition will be announced on the M+ website in December.

Exhibition publication and merchandise

To coincide with the exhibition, M+ and Thames & Hudson have co-published the book Myths, Monsters, and Manga: The Art of Fantasy in Asia, which presents new and in-depth research examining fantastical imagery in Asian art and its impact on global visual culture. Featuring more than 200 illustrations, the publication is available in both Traditional Chinese and English and is now available for purchase in the exhibition shop located at West Gallery, the M+ Shop, and the M+ Online Shop.

M+ Shop has also launched a range of exclusive merchandise inspired by the fantastical characters and iconic imagery featured in the exhibition. Highlights include a retro-inspired collection that brings together Godzilla and Hong Kong iconography, merchandise based on Kenji Yanobe’s SHIP’S CAT (Hope) and SHIP'S CAT (Ultra Muse), and a collection inspired by Fear Catcher, a newly commissioned site-specific mural created for the exhibition by Hong Kong artist Oscar Chan Yik Long, drawing on the Chinese mythological figure Zhong Kui. M+ has also introduced exclusive products inspired by Kongkee’s unique visual language and Ho Tzu Nyen’s Night March of Hundred Monsters, including T-shirts, tote bags, pickleball paddles, baseball caps, pouches, bowls, folders, towels, luggage tags, bookmarks, postcards, magnets, notebooks, and memo flags.

Ticketing arrangements

Visitors can access all M+ galleries with a single-price admission ticket. Tickets are HKD 190 for adults and HKD 100 for visitors eligible for concessions*. Kid and Adult Combo Tickets are also available for HKD 250 for one adult and one child (aged 7–11) or HKD 400 for two adults and one child (aged 7–11). M+ Tickets are available for online purchase via the M+ website, WestK website, WestK App, Cityline, China Travel Service (Hong Kong) Limited, Fliggy, Klook, KKday, and Trip.com. For details, please refer to the M+ website.

*Concession tickets are available for full-time students, children ages seven to eleven, senior citizens ages sixty and above, persons with disabilities and one companion, and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients.

M+ Membership

The M+ annual membership and patron membership offer visitors of all ages and backgrounds exclusive ways to experience contemporary visual culture. M+ Members can enjoy unlimited admission to all exhibitions by presenting their valid membership card upon entry. Meanwhile, M+ Patrons have unlimited admission to all exhibitions with up to three guests per visit. All members can access the M+ Members’ Lounge with an unlimited number of guests, as well as M+ Private Viewings, priority ticket purchasing, and much more. The annual fee for individual membership is HKD 600, and dual membership is HKD 1,000. Young Member and Senior Member annual memberships are available at half price. Family Membership is available with an annual fee of HKD 1,200. M+ Members and Patrons can attend exclusive previews of exhibitions before opening to the public, while Patrons receive personal invitations to private events and fifty per cent discounts on additional exhibition tickets. For more information, please visit the M+ website.

About M+

M+ is Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture. Located in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK), it is dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design, architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The landmark M+ building on Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbourfront was designed by the world-renowned architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with TFP Farrells and Arup. With a total floor area of 65,000 square metres, it includes thirty-three galleries spanning 17,000 square metres alongside a Learning Hub, Moving Image Centre, Research Centre, Roof Garden, and other event and programming spaces. The M+ Facade is one of the largest LED screens in the world, showcasing commissioned artworks on the Hong Kong skyline every evening. The museum stewards a multidisciplinary permanent collection of more than 9,000 works, primarily from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, and across Asia. A highlight is the M+ Sigg Collection, which is one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Chinese contemporary visual art. Today, M+ is a nexus for researching and presenting contemporary visual culture, inspiring thought and curiosity.

About the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK)

WestK is one of the largest and most ambitious cultural hubs in the world and Hong Kong’s new cultural tourism landmark, spanning forty hectares alongside Victoria Harbour. WestK comprises a mix of landmark arts and cultural facilities, including world-class museums M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum, intricately designed performing arts venues such as the Xiqu Centre, Freespace and the WestK Performing Arts Centre to be opened in 2027, as well as the eleven-hectare Art Park with a waterfront promenade.

Hosting over one thousand exhibitions, performances, programmes, and events each year, WestK provides a vital platform for both emerging and established artists. WestK welcomes more than seventeen million visitors in 2025, evolving as the international cultural brand of Hong Kong and strengthening the city’s strategic role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.