Zsiga, a fresh IP incubated in Pop Mart's Design Center, is the debut exhibition's star.

Poster for POP MART Gallery and Zsiga titled “Zsiga Becoming Seen (出场),” dated 2026.1.15–5.17, credited to Artist: Dan (吾丹丹), with a painted scene of four wide-eyed Zsiga figures. — *Zsiga Becoming Seen (出场)* — Pop Mart Gallery’s inaugural Zsiga exhibition, running Jan 15–May 17, 2026.

⏰ Sat, Jan 10, 2026 @ 3 PM PST
🐟 Published from Seattle, USA
🔨 Built by Chase Burns Broderick

Pop Mart’s next move is happening on white walls.

The Beijing-based company is opening Pop Mart Gallery in the Chinese capital’s 798 Art District, with Zsiga: Becoming Seen (出场) as the debut exhibition. The show runs January 15 to May 17, 2026, and is credited to Dan (吾丹丹), a reminder that Zsiga isn’t just a new “series,” but a character with an author inside Pop Mart’s Design Center (PDC) pipeline.

Exterior view of a minimalist white building labeled “POP MART Gallery,” with large corner windows revealing an interior stairwell. — The new Pop Mart Gallery exterior — a minimalist white facade that reads like a contemporary art space first.

From Toy Shows to White Walls: How Pop Mart Got Here

If “Pop Mart Gallery” sounds like a pivot from collectibles to fine art, it’s not.

Pop Mart has produced large-scale, public-facing art events for years, first through conventions and then through more formal gallery infrastructure. By at least 2017, the company was organizing convention-sized “trendy toy” events like the Beijing International Toy Show. By 2019, Pop Mart was staging themed exhibitions around major characters (like Molly) across multiple cities. These showcases, increasingly built inside brightly lit shopping mall atriums, became a signature way Pop Mart would display its IP to new audiences.

Overhead view of a multi-level shopping mall atrium featuring the “I’m Zsiga” installation with multiple giant character figures and sculptural set pieces, as shoppers watch from upper-floor railings. — Wide view of the “I’m Zsiga” atrium build-out at Beijing’s China World Mall (国贸商城).

A large “I’m Zsiga” installation in a shopping mall atrium: a big Zsiga figure stands on a pedestal surrounded by oversized sculptural hands and cloud-like forms, with a green character figure visible behind. — “I’m Zsiga” — the national debut mall installation at Beijing’s China World Mall (国贸商城), summer 2025.

A major institutional move came in 2021, when Pop Mart founded inner flow, a Beijing-based project that reporters in China described as an “art promotion agency.” In late 2023, inner flow opened its first physical gallery space in Beijing’s 798 Art District—an important address. 798 is where global contemporary art tourism happens in Beijing, and opening there was a statement about legitimacy, audience, and cultural positioning.

Bright interior lobby with glass walls and a low reception desk; “POP MART Gallery” appears on the far wall as sunlight cuts across the floor. — A stripped-back entry space: glass, concrete, and a quiet “Pop Mart Gallery” wordmark.

Upward view past a curved metal stair railing toward a circular skylight opening in a white ceiling; the stair continues to the right. — A spiral stair moment under a circular skylight — the building’s minimalism, up close.

Now, in early 2026, Pop Mart is pivoting from the inner flow branding and launching Pop Mart Gallery in 798, describing it as an exhibition space focused on contemporary IP culture.

The inaugural exhibition is Zsiga: Becoming Seen (出场), running January 15 to May 17, 2026, credited to Pop Mart Design Center (PDC) designer Dan (吾丹丹).

Exterior doorway with a propped-open glass door and a wall-mounted sign reading “POP MART Gallery Coming Soon,” lit by sharp afternoon shadows. — On-site signage: “Pop Mart Gallery — Coming Soon.”

Inaugural Exhibit: Zsiga — Becoming Seen (出场)

Fast facts ℹ️

Where: Pop Mart Gallery, Beijing 798.
Run: Thursday, January 15 – Sunday, May 17, 2026.
Artist: Dan / 吾丹丹
IP: Zsiga

What types of pieces are in the exhibit?

Pop Mart hasn’t yet published an easily accessible checklist with a work count, but the labels already show Becoming Seen spans paper, painting, ceramics, and resin objects with dated works ranging from 2022 to 2025.

Artwork label showing “Manuscript collage 01” (手稿拼贴 01), colored pencils on paper, 91×71 cm, dated 2022–2023, with a collage of many small character sketches. — Manuscript collage 01 — a field of early sketches that reads like Zsiga’s visual memory board.

Artwork label for “Sleepy” (瞌睡), ceramic sculpture, 17×13×15 cm, dated 2024, showing a small rounded, textured ceramic form on a gray background. — Sleepy — a small ceramic piece that feels like Zsiga translated into a quiet object.

Artwork label for “Concern” (顾虑), acrylic on canvas, 80×60 cm, dated 2022, showing a wide-eyed figure with flushed cheeks against a glowing yellow background. — Concern — a warm, anxious portrait that nails Zsiga’s vulnerable edge.

One object that will be a central figure in Becoming Seen is a piece that already had a public life outside the gallery: Zsiga “Head Out on a Trip” (below). I photographed it at Pop Toy Show (PTS) Singapore 2025, Pop Mart’s current flagship convention.

A Zsiga display case at POP TOY SHOW Singapore, with multiple boxed items and small figures on acrylic risers; “ZSIGA” is printed in large letters on the front of the display. — Pop Toy Show Singapore 2025: a Zsiga display case mixing mini figures, packaging, and limited pieces.

Close view of the Zsiga “Head Out on a Trip” figure: a suited body seated on stacked wooden planks while a large Zsiga character form appears mid-motion above it, with a painted panel behind the display. — Zsiga “Head Out on a Trip” — photographed at Pop Toy Show Singapore 2025.

“Head Out on a Trip” is a surreal, two-layered sculpture: its bottom half corporate, its top half escape. The bottom business suit is rendered as a matte anchor, while the Zsiga character jumps up in pastel lightning strokes, as if it’s been pulled from a canvas and frozen mid-flight.

Detail shot of the seated Zsiga figure in a gray suit with black shoes on a layered base resembling wooden boards and paper sheets; the words “ZSIGA HEAD OUT ON A TRIP” are partially visible on packaging in the background. — Detail: the “Head Out on a Trip” base — suit, papers, and a plank-like platform.

Overall, Pop Mart Gallery is a glimpse into Pop Mart’s current presentation strategy: IP as exhibition, and designers with names you’re meant to remember.

Created by Dan

The show credits Dan (吾丹丹) as the artist behind Zsiga: Becoming Seen (出场)—and that matters, because Pop Mart’s own character bio treats Zsiga as an authored design tied to a specific in-house creator in its PDC pipeline. While many trendy toy IPs are presented as authorless, tied more to a production house than to an individual designer, Pop Mart is clearly preparing its next generation of Kasing Lungs.

Pop Mart's Next Move: Opening an Art Gallery in Beijing