Lifestyle brand MINISO has opened its first MINISO Gallery at the Bund City Hall Plaza in Shanghai, launching with a solo exhibition by Indonesian contemporary artist Ryo Laksamana, known as RYOL.
Located at 201 Hankou Road, the gallery occupies a historic building at the Shanghai Bund that the company describes as an urban landmark with public cultural significance. The site is a ten-minute walk from the world’s first MINISO LAND.
The opening exhibition, titled Life from the Corner of My Room, runs from May 17 to August 31 and presents paintings, sculptures, and installations tracing RYOL’s development from room-based creations to works exploring the interplay between childhood innocence and real-world experience.
RYOL’s visual language centers on wide-eyed, doll-like figures blending pop surrealism with anime-inspired illustration, using vivid colors and surreal imagery to reflect on reality, social themes, and emotional states.
The opening ceremony featured Thai celebrity BAMBAM, a collector of RYOL’s work alongside the American rock band Linkin Park.
According to MINISO, the gallery is intended to serve as a platform for emerging artists, offering structured support through long-term, platform-based collaboration spanning academic curations, global exhibitions, and commercial development.
The company operates a dual IP strategy combining licensed and proprietary IPs. Since 2025, it has accelerated incubation of its own IP portfolio, introducing characters including YOYO and Kumaru, and has developed experiential retail formats including MINISO LAND and MINISO FRIENDS store concepts. An IP Genius Program supports early-stage IP creation through artist partnerships.
MINISO’s global retail network spans more than 8,000 stores across over 100 countries and regions, with locations in New York, Paris, London, and Dubai.
“MINISO Gallery is not just a gallery, but a platform for emerging artists to reach a global audience,” said Ye Guofu, Founder and CEO, MINISO.
“Building on our experience in bringing global IP to consumers, we aim to connect creators worldwide and enable more original and compelling works to be seen, appreciated, and scaled commercially. Shanghai is only the first stop — MINISO Gallery will evolve into a global platform for creative collaboration.”
The company plans to expand the gallery to additional cities, including Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo, Paris, and New York.
