Osaka Art & Design 2026 Transforms City with Giant Alphabets and Monumental Cat Sculpture

Osaka Art & Design (OAD) 2026 returns from May 27 to June 23, 2026, transforming the city's streets, galleries, and industrial landmarks into an expansive creative trail. Under the curatorial vision of Shinichiro Masui, the event adopts a more art-oriented character than previous editions, guided by the theme 'Infinitize Your Creation / Imagination.' Highlights include 'AUTONOMA' by studio xorium at W Osaka Hotel, a bubble installation confronting the concept of a controlled world; Takenobu Igarashi's 'A-Z Homage' at PARCO, featuring large-scale alphabet forms in wood, concrete, and metal; Yuichiro Hirako's 'NON NATURE' at Hankyu Umeda Main Store, with monochrome drawings and wooden sculptures; and Kenji Yanobe's monumental 'SHIP'S CAT' at Grand Green Osaka South Building, a nearly four-meter-tall futuristic cat sculpture co-presented with ART OSAKA. The event also includes ART OSAKA's Expanded Section at Creative Center Osaka in the former Namura shipyard (May 28–June 1), Maito Otake's 'Weave, Connect, Open' textile installation, studio Sander Wassink's 'V-series ARCHIVE' modular chair system, Maruni's Kupu sauna designed by Wataru Kumano using hinoki and cedar, and Tomohiro Kato's 'The Face Speaks' iron busts at Tezukayama Gallery. OAD 2026 spans multiple zones including Umeda, Dojima, Nakanoshima, Kyomachibori, Hommachi, Shinsaibashi, Namba, and Abeno.