Osaka Art & Design

Created in 2023, the Osaka Art & Design (OAD) exhibition takes places every year between the end of May and the end of June in Osaka. The event transforms the city into an open-air art gallery and contemporary art museum, open for 4 weeks, mixing design furniture, sculpture, painting, fashion and unexpected installations. It is an occasion for the economic capital of the Kansai area to be adorned with original colors and shapes, and unusual objects installed in special staging. Contemporary artworks are indeed displayed in no less than 60 various places of the lively districts of Osaka’s city-center:

• In Umeda, Dojima, Nakanoshima Island in its northern side;
• In Kyomachibori and Honmachi at the center;
• In Shinsaibashi, Namba and Abeno / Tennoji in the southern side.

A creative itinerary in Osaka’s touristic center

Open to all and free, Osaka Art & Design delivers a creative walk throught the streets, a few urban concourses, designers’ shops and mostly around stations (Hankyu, Nankai, Kintetsu...) with big shopping malls (Daimaru, Parco, Takashimaya...) that are hosting art galleries. Visitors can admire in particular:

• Designers’ clothes;
• Design and architectural pieces;
• Paintings;
• Sculptures; and,
• Various artistic or conceptual works.

The exhibition highlights both international and local artists. It is naturally liked by art amateurs and collectors, but also by the larger public, especially thanks to open-air immersive installations, often of impressive size with bright colors that are particularly popular among the youngest.

Among other artworks, there are very realistic resin reproductions of typically Japanese dishes made by Iwasaki, one of the leading manufacturers of food samples. Their enticing sight may make some mouths water, but gourmets will easily find a nice restaurant in the area as the exhibition is taking place in the central and touristic districts of the city. Osaka Art & Design is an occasion to discover Osaka under another light, in a creative and contemporary atmosphere.

The miscellaneous forms of art

The 3rd edition of the event took place in 2025, from May 28 to June 24, at the same time as Expo 2025 Osaka, and its theme was Overlaps. It evoked the encounter of several passions, a precious mix that can result in unique creations, as a universal concept that the artists know well and that the larger public can easily comprehend.

Some memorable artworks presented for the 2025 OAD can be mentionned:

• Yokai Unity designed by artist Maki Takato and displayed in Nankai Namba Station 2F Concourse. The inflatable insects of gigantic dimensions refer to the traditional Japanese spirits folklore with fancy models that also remind of the famous Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons.
• Fashion is not to be outdone, with the Wearable Art – Unseen Threads collection by Joanna Hawrot. The designer offers her take on the Japanese kimono using Polish textile traditions at the Daimaru Shinsaibashi.
• Design fans can admire the Cassina furniture collection in the shop of Cassina ixc brand.
• An exhibition of monumental illustrations by Sayaka Miyata and Midori Hirota, inspired by by German biologist Ernst Haeckel (1834 – 1919)’s drawings, immerse visitors in a curiosity cabinet inside Umeda North twin towers.
• Painting amateurs can admire works by Robert Heindel (1938 - 2005), Princess Diana’s favorite artists, at the Daimaru Shinsaibashi Main Building 8F Artglorieux Gallery. The collection is entirely dedicated to dancers, that the artist painted during their practice.

Note however that some exhibitions can end earlier than the festival itself. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to check the program of Osaka Art & Design beforehand so as to chose the artworks according to one’s interest, and create an original itinerary in the city. It is also possible to just go and be surprised by this original contemporary art form that is put on display for all in very busy places of Osaka city.