Louis Vuitton: Visionary Journeys has opened to the public at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka and will be open to visitors until September 17, 2025. Designed by OMA's New York office under the direction of Partner Shohei Shigematsu, the exhibition marks the first time the Visionary Journeys series has been staged in a cultural institution. Spanning 2,200 square meters across eleven thematic galleries, the project offers a comprehensive spatial narrative of the Maison's 170-year creative legacy, articulated through zones dedicated to history, craftsmanship, iconic design codes, and cultural exchange.
The exhibition is the latest in an ongoing collaboration between OMA/Shohei Shigematsu and Louis Vuitton, following a series of scenographic commissions for major fashion and cultural showcases. In Osaka, Shigematsu and his team approached the exhibition as a "spatial translation of Louis Vuitton's legacy, a journey not just through objects but through ideas." Situated in a city historically known for its role in trade and craftsmanship, the museum offers a fitting context for exploring the brand's evolution and its connection to Japanese culture.
Visitors are first met by Trunkscapes, a monumental installation in the museum's five-story atrium. Eight 12.5-meter lanterns, composed of vertically stacked Louis Vuitton trunks and wrapped in Monogram washi paper, hang from the ceiling and emit a soft ambient glow. A second Trunkscape installation, located at the entrance to the galleries, takes the form of a hemispherical dome assembled from 138 vintage trunks. Reflected in the black glass floor, the structure forms a complete globe, evoking themes of travel central to the House's identity.
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Each gallery presents a distinct spatial experience, with scenographic elements conceived as immersive environments rather than passive displays. The Origins gallery introduces the House's creative evolution through six historical eras, arranged within a hand-woven bamboo structure that emphasizes craft traditions shared by Louis Vuitton and Japanese culture. Artifacts and garments from both are displayed on modular tatami-like platforms, tracing the longstanding cultural exchange between the two. Themes of travel are highlighted in Expeditions, where an inflatable hot-air balloon doubles as both a display structure and a projection surface. In Monogram Canvas, two connected rooms explore the development of the brand's iconic pattern, from its initial influences to contemporary reinterpretations, through a rotating, planetary-inspired display of over 100 Monogram bags.
Craftsmanship is further emphasized in the Workshop and Testing galleries. In the former, a reconstruction of the Asnières atelier hosts live demonstrations by Louis Vuitton artisans, visible through mirrored skylights. The latter replicates the Maison's lab environment, where robotic arms and mechanical devices perform real-time strength and durability tests on bags, set against a tactile, natural-material backdrop. At the center of the Atelier Rarex gallery, a ribbed fabric reinterpretation of the Maison Vendôme's mansard roof frames a selection of bespoke pieces, including celebrity looks. The mirrored room expands the installation into an infinite roofscape recalling Parisian boulevards. The final gallery, Collaborations, brings together major creative partnerships, Yayoi Kusama, Stephen Sprouse, Supreme, and Takashi Murakami, within a mirrored, kaleidoscopic space that dynamically reframes the artifacts and visitor movement.
On other similar news from the intersection of architecture, fashion, and exhibition design, OMA continues to play a significant role in shaping how brands present their narratives through space. Known for its longstanding collaborations with fashion houses, the firm previously completed the design for Miss Dior: Stories of a Miss at the Roppongi Museum in Tokyo and unveiled a new edition of Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams in Seoul. At Paris Fashion Week Men's Spring/Summer 2026, architecture also took center stage, with Louis Vuitton showing at Tadao Ando's Bourse de Commerce and Saint Laurent collaborating with Bijoy Jain for a custom set.
