Pikachu and contemporaries coming to Houston
Asia Society Texas (Houston) opens its newest exhibition The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture on October 17, 2025. A survey of the present-day, far-reaching influence of Japanese animation on contemporary art, The House of Pikachu features 25 artists from across the globe including Japan, Brazil, China, Mexico, Côte d’Ivoire, Texas, and beyond. The exhibition remains on view through March 15, 2026.
Long a cultural mainstay in Japan but a niche genre abroad, Japanese animation — or anime — has become one of the world’s most popular forms of entertainment and a pillar of global popular culture. Nearly 20 years have passed since the first major exhibitions examined anime’s role in contemporary artistic productions, recognizing it as a key source for a new kind of pop art.
Nancy C. Allen Curator and Director of Exhibitions Owen Duffy notes, “Much of my youth was shaped by a love for Japanese pop culture: binging on Dragon Ball Z, Pokémon, and Final Fantasy. In my recent years, I’ve realized I’m far from alone in my nostalgia for these classics and admiration for the art of animation. By encountering these energetic works of contemporary art, I hope viewers will recognize how global anime has become, and that pop culture is an enduring inspiration for artistic expression.”
Throughout the galleries, guests will find playful nods to beloved animated classics such as Astro Boy, Dragon Ball, and Sailor Moon, as well as an immersive homage to the cultural icon Pikachu, filled with the most high-brow fan art one can imagine.
Highlights of The House of Pikachu include:
- Time and Light by Yoshitaka Amano, avisionary artist who first earned acclaim as an animator for Speed Racer and has become beloved for his contributions to landmark media such as the video game series Final Fantasy.
- Gao Hang, a Houston-based artist known for his retro-futurist aesthetics that mine the language of ’90s video games, who has created a new Pikachu painting that encapsulates the iconic nature of this beloved character.
- Monsieur Zohore, an artist based between the United States and Cote D’Ivoire who grew up with a fascination for and appreciation of anime, is creating a new monumental painting Houston, We Have A Problem (2025). The piece is an imaginative all-out melee among a cast of postwar anime and manga figures including: Kurama from Naruto, Tetsuo from Akira, Frieza and Cell from Dragon Ball Z, Inuyasha from Inuyasha, Griffith from Berserk, Char Aznable from Mobile Suit Gundam, Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell, Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop, Kamina from Gurren Lagann, and Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, and Gendo Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
“Anime was my first passport,” Zohore said. “It connected me to kids in Abidjan and in the U.S. — a shared language of transformation that transcended geography, language, and shame. Long before I understood difference, I understood what it meant to go Super Saiyan in times of crisis. Anime didn’t just entertain me; it taught me how to survive, how to perform, how to belong. It metabolized trauma into critique — and gave me permission to do the same.”
The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture creates a space for guests to discover how artists harness the aesthetics of anime — flatness, saturated colors, and stylized features — to propel pop art further in the 21st century. While honoring the genre’s pioneers, the exhibition also moves beyond kawaii culture to highlight anime’s strange, otherworldly, and supernatural dimensions. In doing so, The House of Pikachu celebrates the vitality and enduring relevance of both pop art and pop culture today.
The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture Fast Facts
- Dates: Thursday, October 17, 2025, through Sunday, March 15, 2026
- Admission: $8; free for ages 6 and under, students with I.D., and AST members
- Hours: Wednesday, Friday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Thursday, 12 – 7 p.m.
- Location: Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 Southmore Blvd, Houston, TX, 77004 (in the Museum District)
- More info: asiasociety.org/texas/exhibitions/house-pikachu-art-anime-and-pop-culture
Related programs:
Opening Reception
Friday, October 17, 2025 from 6–8 p.m.
Gao Hang at Untitled Art Fair
Thursday, September 18 – Sunday, September 21, 2025 at the George R. Brown Convention Center
Artists featured in The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture:
Yoshitaka Amano, Chiho Aoshima, Daniel Arsham, Emily Yong Beck, Katherine Bernhardt, Julien Ceccaldi, CFGNY, Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group, Maya Fuji, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Gao Hang, Loc Huynh, Teppei Kaneuji, Izumi Kato, Taylor Lee, Jarod Lew, Ileana Moreno, Yoshitomo Nara, Robert Nava, Otani Workshop, Rozeal., Keiichi Tanaami, Andrew Norman Wilson, Yuli Yamagata, Monsieur Zohore.
About Asia Society Texas
Asia Society Texas Center believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community—trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.
The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture is curated by Owen Duffy, Nancy C. Allen Curator and Director of Exhibitions.
