New works by Yoshitomo Nara mark the Japanese artist's take on death and the impermanence of life after an earthquake and tsunami in 2011 hammered the region between his hometown and current residence.
The more than 20 new creations make up about half of 42 of his works to go on show in Hong Kong starting today.
As Nara readily admits, at 55 he is more than halfway through the average life expectancy of Japanese men, of 80.
Watch: Yoshitomo Nara: I'm still trying to figure out the meaning of life
And after the March 11, 2011, twin natural disasters, which triggered a meltdown at a Fukushima nuclear plant about 100km from where he lived, the contemporary artist realised it was about time he stepped out of his "self-centred" comfort zone. "I was shocked. I couldn't create any more pieces," Nara, who was born in Aomori in northern Japan, said yesterday. "I realised that in the past, I had created my works freely. I did whatever I felt like. It was too self-centred."