Best Exhibitions Starting in January 2025
SHARE
Tokyo Art Beat presents a selection of the best exhibitions opening in January 2025. Bookmark the exhibitions on the TAB website or TAB app and never miss the openings and closings.
Find more exhibitions to see this winter in Tokyo and the Kanto region here:
- 【Tokyo】Inviting Fortune: Auspicious Symbols in Japanese Art (The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan)
- 【Tokyo】Kei Imazu: Tanah Air (Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery)
- 【Tokyo】Man Ray of Our Affections: An Exhibition Celebrating the 135th Anniversary of His Birth (Tokyo Fuji Art Museum)
- 【Tokyo】Sky Gallery Exhibition Series Vol.8 "Paradiscape" (Sky Gallery)
- 【Tokyo】Unraveling the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt from Brooklyn Museum (Mori Arts Center Gallery)
- 【Tokyo】Ayako Miyawaki Retrospective: I Saw, I Cut, I Applied (Tokyo Station Gallery)
- 【Tokyo】TOP 30th Anniversary Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions 2025 "Docs: Images and Records" (Tokyo Photographic Art Museum)
- 【Saitama】Mé "Life Scaper in Saitama Arts Theater" (Saitama Arts Foundation)
- 【Aichi】Paul Klee, Solitary and Solidary (Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art)
- 【Aichi】Takuro Tamayama "Floor" (Toyota Municipal Museum of Art)
- 【Shiga】Butsudori (Shiga Museum of Art)
- 【Kyoto】Shunsuke Matsumoto Cities and People: Depictions from a Sharp Perspective (Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum)
- 【Kyoto】Mika Ninagawa with EiM: Lights of the Beyond, Shadows of This World (Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art)
- 【Kagawa】Commemorating the 1st "MIMOCA Eye" Grand-prize Winner "Akane Saijo— Double Touch"
- 【Fukuoka】85th Anniversary Tom & Jerry Exhibition (Fukuoka Art Museum)
- 【Okinawa】Yambaru Art Festival 2024-2025 (Ogimi Village Former Shioya Elementary School)
【Tokyo】Inviting Fortune: Auspicious Symbols in Japanese Art (The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan)
The New Year heralds the start of a new chapter in life. Across history, people have incorporated auspicious symbols into their celebrations to invite good fortune during this time. This exhibition delves into the rich tapestry of auspicious symbols in Japanese art, offering visitors a journey through a curated collection of works imbued with hope and the promise of a brighter future.
Venue: The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan
Schedule: January 4 - March 2
【Tokyo】Kei Imazu: Tanah Air (Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery)
Kei Imazu creates paintings by digitally composing images sourced from diverse media, which she then translates into oil on canvas. Since relocating to Indonesia in 2017, her work has incorporated Indonesian history and mythology motifs. This exhibition spans her entire career, featuring a new series inspired by the Hainuwele myth. Marking her first large-scale solo exhibition, it highlights the achievements of an artist garnering significant international acclaim.
Venue: Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery
Schedule: January 11 - March 23
【Tokyo】Man Ray of Our Affections: An Exhibition Celebrating the 135th Anniversary of His Birth (Tokyo Fuji Art Museum)
Man Ray (1890–1976) was a celebrated American visual artist whose work spanned various media, including film, photography, collage, and objet d'art. Renowned for his artistic innovation and warm humanity, he welcomed friends from diverse ideologies, perspectives, and genders, infusing his interactions with wit and playful mischief. This exhibition presents a comprehensive view of his vast body of work alongside ephemera, providing a captivating insight into both the artist and the individual behind the creations.
Venue: Tokyo Fuji Art Museum
Schedule: January 11 - March 23
【Tokyo】Sky Gallery Exhibition Series Vol.8 "Paradiscape" (Sky Gallery)
Presented by Heralbony, this exhibition attempts to reconstruct the “brilliance of life” captured from diverse perspectives through collaboration between artists of different colors and Shibuya Sky. Titled “Paradiscape,” the space aims to create an ideal world where the urban landscape and life resonate, bringing new insights into “life” and “the world” to visitors.
Venue: Sky Gallery
Schedule: January 16 - March 31
【Tokyo】Unraveling the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt from Brooklyn Museum (Mori Arts Center Gallery)
Featuring approximately 150 artifacts from the Brooklyn Museum's renowned ancient Egyptian collection—including sculptures, coffins, jewelry, ceramics, papyrus, and human and animal mummies—this exhibition delves into the lives of the people who built this advanced civilization. Complementing the artifacts are video and audio presentations, exploring topics ranging from lesser-known facts often overlooked in previous exhibitions to groundbreaking research on the pyramids conducted with the latest technology.
Venue: Mori Arts Center Gallery
Schedule: January 25 - April 6
【Tokyo】Ayako Miyawaki Retrospective: I Saw, I Cut, I Applied (Tokyo Station Gallery)
Ayako Miyawaki (1905–1995) crafted charming and accessible works on fabric and paper, drawing inspiration from everyday objects. This exhibition highlights her excellence as a figurative artist, presenting approximately 150 works and related materials. These are thoughtfully categorized into eight chapters, each reflecting distinct figurative characteristics of her artistry.
Venue: Tokyo Station Gallery
Schedule: January 25 - March 16
【Tokyo】TOP 30th Anniversary Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions 2025 "Docs: Images and Records" (Tokyo Photographic Art Museum)
The Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions seeks to re-examine the increasingly diverse ways moving images are created and experienced. Continuing to promote and sustain the transformative visions inspired by art and moving images, the 2025 edition will delve deeper into the essence of moving images. Highlights include new works by four finalists in the Commission Project, alongside exhibitions and programs aligned with this year’s theme.
Venue: Tokyo Photographic Art Museum
Schedule: January 31 - February 16
【Saitama】Mé "Life Scaper in Saitama Arts Theater" (Saitama Arts Foundation)
The contemporary art team “mé,” which served as the director of the Art Saitama 2023, is holding an exhibition at the Saitama Arts Foundation. In this exhibition, the team has signed a contract with the theater to develop a unique concept in which the venue can have a “scaper” appearance during the exhibition period. What is a “scaper” that may or may not exist? Visit the theater to enjoy this ambiguous experience.
Venue: Saitama Arts Foundation
Schedule: January 21 - February 24
【Aichi】Paul Klee, Solitary and Solidary (Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art)
Paul Klee (1879–1940) was a pioneering artist of the early 20th century, celebrated during his lifetime for his distinctive and innovative style. This exhibition, presented in collaboration with the Paul Klee Center in Switzerland, traces the arc of Klee's creative journey. Through comparisons with works by artists connected to Klee and the inclusion of valuable historical materials, this exhibition offers a comprehensive exploration of his artistic legacy and the context in which he thrived.
Venue: Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art
Schedule: January 18 - March 16
【Aichi】Takuro Tamayama "Floor" (Toyota Municipal Museum of Art)
Takuro Tamayama began his artistic journey as a painter but soon transitioned to creating immersive installations integrating three-dimensional forms, light, video, and sound. His works explore the dynamic interplay between the inner (in-terior) and outer (ex-terior) worlds, challenging the boundaries that separate them. This exhibition features a single, site-specific installation displayed within the distinctive architectural setting of the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
Venue: Toyota Municipal Museum of Art
Schedule: January 18 - May 18
【Shiga】Butsudori (Shiga Museum of Art)
Photographing everyday objects has evolved from cameras to smartphones and has become a familiar activity for everyone. This exhibition reevaluates the term “butsudori” as an essential form of expression in the history of photography, transcending the boundaries of commercial advertising. The exhibition will feature over 200 photographs, ranging from original photographic plates from the Meiji period to photographs of cultural properties, still lifes, and advertising, as well as works by contemporary artists.
Venue: Shiga Museum of Art
Schedule: January 18 - March 23
【Kyoto】Shunsuke Matsumoto Cities and People: Depictions from a Sharp Perspective (Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum)
This exhibition traces Western-style painter Matsumoto Shunsuke’s (1912-48) painting career, which left a solid mark in his short life, through more than 60 paintings and drawings, mainly from the Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum collection.
Venue: Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum
Schedule: January 4 - April 6
【Kyoto】Mika Ninagawa with EiM: Lights of the Beyond, Shadows of This World (Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art)
Mika Ninagawa and EiM, a creative team of specialists in various fields, will hold the largest solo exhibition in the Kansai region at the Kyocera Museum of Art in Kyoto. For this exhibition, Ninagawa has created a “picture scroll experience” spanning 10 episodes based on inspiration from the city of Kyoto. Through video installations and three-dimensional exhibits, viewers will be welcomed as the protagonists of these stories.
Venue: Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art
Schedule: January 11 - March 30
【Kagawa】Commemorating the 1st "MIMOCA Eye" Grand-prize Winner "Akane Saijo— Double Touch"
MIMOCA Eye, launched in 2022, showcases emerging artists and their unique talents. This exhibition features Akane Saijo (1989–), the grand prize winner of the first MIMOCA Eye. Saijo creates clay sculptures that encourage viewers to connect viscerally with their bodies and those of others, drawing inspiration from the hollows in pottery and the human body. Recently, she has extended her body by sculpting shapes reminiscent of the body and incorporating performances where breath and sound are channeled into the hollows. Saijo views ceramics as a practice that fosters awareness of the body and communication between the self, the artwork, and the world.
Venue: Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art
Schedule: January 26 - March 30
【Fukuoka】85th Anniversary Tom & Jerry Exhibition (Fukuoka Art Museum)
The animated film Tom and Jerry, created in 1940, will celebrate its 85th anniversary in 2025. This exhibition highlights the joyful daily life of Tom and Jerry, focusing on their evolving relationship and friendships over the years. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore this world through unique objects and photo spots. The exhibition will offer an interactive experience, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the iconic world of Tom and Jerry.
Venue: Fukuoka Art Museum
Schedule: January 25 - March 20
【Okinawa】Yambaru Art Festival 2024-2025 (Ogimi Village Former Shioya Elementary School)
The Yambaru Art Festival, held in the northern part of Okinawa’s main island—designated as a World Natural Heritage site in 2021—returns for its eighth edition this year. The festival will showcase contemporary art, with 31 artists presenting site-specific works that engage with the region's unique environment.
Venue: Ogimi Village Former Shioya Elementary School (Ogimi Utility Center)
Schedule: January 18 - February 24
SHARE