Godzilla, Astro Boy and Ghost in the Shell meet in a Hong Kong exhibition

The M+ museum in Hong Kong opens this Saturday, October 17, 2026, "Myths and Monsters: The Fantastic Realms of Asia", an exhibition bringing together more than 400 works of contemporary art, architecture, fashion, video games and film. It is the first major show dedicated to tracing how fantasy has shaped Asian visual culture from the 19th century to today.

The exhibition does not stay in escapist territory. M+'s thesis is that Asian artists have used the supernatural, the magical and the futuristic to respond to their reality: wars, social crises, identity or technology. And they prove it with pieces ranging from Buddhist scrolls and surrealist landscapes to the fictional universes of anime.

M+ gallery with murals of Godzilla and a warrior, part of the exhibition "Myths and Monsters: The Fantastic Realms of Asia".sohu.com

From ukiyo-e prints to the manga boom

The tour is divided into four parts. The first focuses on fantasy rooted in East Asian folklore and spiritual narratives. That includes ukiyo-e prints, Chinese shadow puppets, Tibetan Buddhist thangkas and ritual objects. These pieces show how these images were used to ask for protection, prosperity or peace.

The second section jumps to interwar Europe and surrealism. Asian artists living in Paris, such as Pang Xunqin and Okamoto Taro, absorbed that language of the absurd and the illogical to process the trauma of war. When they returned to their countries, they mixed it with their own traditions. The show includes work by creators from China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand.

The third part is the one that hits closest for us as anime and manga fans. Here, Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy, published in 1952, shares space with the global phenomenon of Godzilla (1954). There are also sketches from Cardcaptor Sakura (2016-2023) and original background paintings from Ghost in the Shell (1995), the Mamoru Oshii film that redefined cyberpunk in animation.

Exhibition space with comics and art related to Godzilla, Astro Boy and Ghost in the Shell.sohu.com

The present: when fantasy becomes everyday

The last section looks at the globalized present. Visual artists, designers, architects and digital image creators engage with anime and manga culture. Their works address shifting identities, technological anxiety and new mythologies. M+ director Suhanya Raffel sums it up: "This exhibition offers a new perspective on the contribution of Asian creation to global cultural history."

And she adds a point that resonates strongly right now: when artificial intelligence, virtual avatars and cinematic universes are everywhere, this show arrives to explain where that imagination comes from. It is no coincidence that M+ chose this moment to open it.

Film, talks and a book to go with it

The exhibition is not limited to the galleries. On opening day there will be a talk with artists and curators from Japan and Australia, including the director of the Yumoto Koichi Museum of Yokai in Hiroshima. They will discuss how the supernatural travels between religions, folk traditions and pop culture.

M+'s cinema also joins in with a series dedicated to Mamoru Oshii. Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) will be screened, with discussions afterward. In winter, eight monster films will arrive, including Bong Joon-ho's The Host (2006) and Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth.

There will also be six family days between January and March 2027, designed for children to explore these fantastic worlds. And for those who want to go deeper, the museum is publishing with Thames & Hudson the book Myths, Monsters and Manga: The Fantastic Realms of Asia, with more than 200 images and studies on the global impact of Asian fantasy.

Exhibition room with posters of classic Godzilla films and other characters from Asian fantasy art.sohu.com

The show will be open at M+ in Hong Kong. If you're around, it's a chance to see Godzilla, Astro Boy and Motoko Kusanagi in the same space.