What Happened at Virgil Abloh & Takashi Murakami's "Future History" Exhibition Launch

A welcome departure from the interminable flurry of presentations each season, Virgil Abloh and Takashi Murakami offered some respite from the style-onslaught by opening their hotly anticipated "Future History" exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery during London Fashion Week.

Comprised of large-scale paintings, sculptures, and an immersive installation which expertly combines statement Off-White design cues with Murakami's iconic use of illustrated anime characters, the exhibition opened with an interactive launch event on Tuesday 20th February.

Collaborating in Murakami’s Tokyo studio, the duo produced a unique series of works in which their styles and trademarks intersect in a stream of free-wheeling, punkish mash-ups. The two artists, kindred spirits from opposite axes of a broader cultural zone, reflect incisively on the signs of the times in which we live.

The show had been garnering widespread attention across social media in the days preceding its opening, as Abloh and Murakami teased a slew of work-in-progress pieces on social media; a quintessential aspect of Abloh's design process, which has proffered a refreshing 'open-source' transparency to rival the fashion industry's traditionally secretive tenue.

Hosting a slew of high profile names from across the creative industries - including Justin Timberlake, Rick Owens' collaborateur Michele Lamy, ASAP Nast, and Hans-Ulrich Obrist - the launch event opened with a private viewing of the exhibition, before guests were walked to a secret location to receive limited edition t-shirts printed by both artists. The interactivity was followed with a sit-down dinner and after party at Mayfair's uber-stylish restaurant/club, Isabel.

The "Future History" exhibition is available to view by the public until April 7th at the location below:

Gagosian Gallery Davies Street

17-19 Davies Street

London, England