The internet’s favourite forest spirits are stepping out of the screen and into the gallery. To celebrate a decade of The Monsters, artist Kasing Lung has launched a global touring exhibition with Labubu at its heart fittingly titled MONSTERS BY MONSTERS: NOW AND THEN.

Now open at the Asia Society Hong Kong Centre, and sponsored by HSBC, the exhibition arrives fresh off successful showings in Shanghai and Taipei. What awaits visitors is less a traditional gallery experience and more an invitation into a dreamscape, one where imagination, nostalgia and collectible culture quietly collide.

The story begins ten years ago, when Lung first drew inspiration from Norse mythology. Those early references eventually evolved into the fantastical universe that fans now know intimately laying the visual groundwork for works like the Fairy Trilogy and introducing Labubu as a character that feels at once mischievous, tender, and strangely familiar. Since then, The Monsters have transcended borders, languages and age groups, becoming a global cultural phenomenon.

For this anniversary showcase, host venues are transformed into enchanted forests where fantasy blurs into reality. Visitors are invited to trace the origins of Lung’s creative world through early sketches and richly layered original artworks. The exhibition unfolds across themed zones, including a Designer Toys section that charts Labubu’s evolution, and an Interactive Zone spotlighting the beloved POP MART collaboration.

There’s also a deeper, more personal resonance at play. Having emigrated in his youth, this Hong Kong stop feels like a homecoming for Lung, a celebration not just of characters, but of a creative journey that has followed him across continents and decades.

MONSTERS BY MONSTERS: NOW AND THEN runs in Hong Kong from December 15, 2025, to January 4, 2026. For longtime fans and curious newcomers alike, it’s a reminder that some worlds no matter how whimsical, grow richer with time.