Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami had a busy visit to Hong Kong in March, spanning the city’s second annual ComplexCon through Art Basel Hong Kong. What started as an experimental foray into the Asia art scene for the latter event in 2013 has exploded into an annual Hong Kong Arts Month, with the festivities spilling over into other sectors, such as fashion, sports and even food. Given his body of work over the last two decades in particular, Murakami, both in physical presence and in spirit, seamlessly crossed over to all those areas.
Murakami’s work at Art Basel Hong Kong 2025
The Spain- and Manila-based Galería Cayón featured one of Murakami’s Untitled works from 2017 at Art Basel Hong Kong’s main site, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Galerie Perrotin displayed Tan Tan Bo: Wormhole, a 2025 piece which, according to Art Basel Hong Kong, sold for US$1.35 million.
Takashi Murakami: Tan Tan Bo: Wormhole (2025)
all photos by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine
However, it was the Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami retrospective that took center stage on the Art Basel Hong Kong HKCEC grounds, outside of the gallery booths. The 20th anniversary of the artist’s first collaboration with the luxury fashion label – made possible by then-Creative Director Marc Jacobs – coincided with a relaunch and remix of the collection in three “chapters” during the first half of 2025. The original collaboration permanently changed the game when it came to combining the seemingly disparate worlds of high fashion and contemporary art, so much so that it paved the way for other labels and artists to follow suit. The original handbags and related accessories, art and limited edition goods such as playing cards still command high prices on the vintage market, and at auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s.
Photos: Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami – Art Basel Hong Kong 2025
all photos by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine
Murakami’s art reimagined in cuisine
The growth of Hong Kong as an international visual art hub has provided restaurants opportunities to create special menus for art lovers throughout the month of March. Alvin Leung of Bo Innovation has tackled this concept on multiple occasions, and in his The Masterpiece 2025 menu, Murakami’s omnipresent smiling flowers made their way into a dish titled “Flower Ball”: a giant Hokkaido scallop surrounded by four pieces of celeriac with differing colors, acting as the petals. As diners consumed the food, they were able to admire miniature versions of the artists’ works that accompanied the tablescape.
Photos: “Flower Ball” at Bo Innovation
all photos by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine
Finally, Murakami himself appears at the Gagosian Gallery
The artist stopped by the Gagosian Gallery to check out Sarah Sze’s solo exhibition, which marked her debut not only in Hong Kong, but in Asia. The Gagosian is very meaningful to Murakami, as he wrote on Instagram in May: “It’s already been 18 years since my first exhibition at Gagosian. I am filled with nothing but gratitude for being represented for such a long time at the world’s top gallery.”
Notably, Murakami wore a denim Louis Vuitton x Supreme Jacquard baseball jersey and matching shorts, and a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball cap that he designed for the MLB (Major League Baseball) Tokyo Series Collection. This was unveiled in time for the start of the regular season, which kicked off in Tokyo from March 18-19 between the reigning World Series champion Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. With sales occurring two weeks prior to the Series and ComplexCon Hong Kong, Murakami’s hats, bags, shirts, jerseys, baseball cards and other items flew off the pop-up shelves in Los Angeles and Tokyo, as well as the Complex website and Fanatics app. “I think this new collection builds upon the historical friendship between Japan and the United States,” Murakami said in a press release. “I feel lucky to be able to work alongside Fanatics, Complex and MLB and highlight Shohei Ohtani, an outstanding athlete who has emerged from Japan and made a name for himself on the global stage. This is something I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be a part of.”
all photos by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine
