2025 - The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture, Houston, Texas (USA)

The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture

Asia Society Texas (AST) announces the opening of its newest exhibition The House of Pikachu: Art, Anime, and Pop Culture. 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 opens to the public October 17, 2025, and 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.

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.

Curated by Owen Duffy, Nancy C. Allen Curator and Director of Exhibitions.

Asia Society Texas Center
Houston, Texas (USA)
October 17, 2025 - March 15, 2026