ASIA POP

ASIA POP

18 September 2026 to spring 2027

Comics, film, food and much more – East Asian pop culture has become a decisive force in shaping the global mainstream. With ASIA POP, the NRW-Forum presents the first comprehensive exhibition in Germany devoted to this development and its cultural-political, economic and aesthetic influence. From kawaii characters such as Hello Kitty and animated films by Studio Ghibli, to K-pop groups like BTS and games such as Black Myth: Wukong, ASIA POP presents the full breadth of East Asian popular culture. In Düsseldorf, home to Germany’s largest East Asian community, the NRW-Forum presents a visual, sonic and culinary panorama across 1,200 square metres and around 400 works.

The exhibition focuses on China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Each deploys popular culture in different ways as a form of so-called soft power – exporting cultural products to generate economic and political influence on a global scale. The show sheds light on these strategies and asks how authenticity, identity and appropriation are negotiated in this context. The exhibition is organised thematically around areas of everyday life – beauty, fashion, film and television, gaming and music – through which different facets of Asia Pop come into focus.

Random Play Dance, selfie stations and arcade machines: each chapter of the exhibition incorporates interactive elements that invite visitors to engage with current trends, to question them critically and to share their own fan experiences.

Curators: Charlotte Ickler, Cultural Education Associate at Kunstpalast; Nana Tazuke-Steiniger, independent curator; and Judith Winterhager, Curatorial Assistant at NRW-Forum Düsseldorf.

ASIA POP

Duration: 18 September 2026 - Spring 2027
Opening: 17 September 2026, 7 pm

Press-Preview: 17 September 2025, 11 am

Press Images

The images shown may be used free of charge in themed reporting (in print and online media) in connection with the ASIA POP exhibition at the NRW Forum Düsseldorf, provided the specified photo credits are acknowledged. The right to free use expires six weeks after the end of the exhibition. Cropping is not permitted.