The NRW-Forum Düsseldorf will present the exhibition ASIA POP starting on September 18, 2026, highlighting the diversity of popular culture from East Asia. Comics, film, food, and much more—East Asian pop culture plays a decisive role in shaping the global mainstream. With ASIA POP, the NRW-Forum presents the first comprehensive exhibition in Germany dedicated to this development and its cultural-political, economic, and aesthetic influences.
Image above: Takumi Ogata, What is kawaii, 2022, digital painting, © takumi2ndtonkotsu / @artist takumi ogata.
From kawaii characters like Hello Kitty to animated films by Studio Ghibli, K-pop bands such as BTS, and video games like Black Myth: Wukong, ASIA POP brings the diversity of East Asian popular culture to life.
In Düsseldorf—the city with the largest East Asian population in Germany—the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf creates a visual, sonic, and culinary panorama of East Asian pop culture across 1,200 square meters, featuring around 400 works.
From kawaii characters like Hello Kitty to animated films by Studio Ghibli, K-pop bands such as BTS, and video games like Black Myth: Wukong, ASIA POP makes the diversity of East Asian popular culture tangible.
In Düsseldorf—the city with the largest East Asian population in Germany—the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf creates a visual, sonic, and culinary panorama of East Asian pop culture across 1,200 square meters, featuring around 400 works.
Random Play Dance, selfie stations, and arcade machines: the different sections of the exhibition invite visitors, through interactive elements, to engage with these trends, critically reflect on them, and share their own fan experiences.
Curators: Charlotte Ickler, cultural education staff member at Kunstpalast; Nana Tazuke-Steiniger, independent curator; and Judith Winterhager, curatorial assistant at the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf.
WHEN?
Opening: September 17, 2026, 7:00 PM
Events dates: 18. September 2026 to May 2027
WHERE?
NRW-Forum Düsseldorf Ehrenhof 2 · D – 40479 Düsseldorf
