International Art Fair “Tokyo Gendai” Announces Program: Exhibitions, Talk Events and Installation by Ryuichi Ohira

Tokyo Gendai is scheduled to be held from July 7 to July 9, 2023, at the Pacific Convention Plaza Yokohama (Pacifico Yokohama). Here is what to expect from this new world-class international art fair.

First international art fair in Japan to be granted the bonded status

Tokyo Gendai is Japan’s first international art fair to obtain permission to use the entire fairgrounds as a bonded area. For the duration of the fair, Pacifico Yokohama exhibition space will allow overseas exhibitors to import and display works of art free of customs and other restrictions. This initiative, which significantly improves the accessibility and efficiency of the Japanese art market, is one of the reasons why the fair is described as “world-class.”

Participating galleries include 313 Art Project (Seoul), A Lighthouse called Kanata (Tokyo), Almine Rech (Paris, Brussels, London, New York, Shanghai), ANOMALY (Tokyo), Asia Art Center (Taipei), Blum & Poe (Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo), Ceysson & Bénétière (New York, Koerich, Paris, Lyon, Geneva, Saint-Étienne, Pouzilhac), Each Modern (Taipei), Fox Jensen & Fox Jensen McCrory (Sydney, Auckland), Galerie Du Monde (Hong Kong), Gallery Baton (Seoul), galerie frank elbaz (Paris), GALLERY SIDE 2 (Tokyo) and 74 other galleries in Japan and abroad.

Program highlights and curated exhibitions

The fair program also includes exciting performances, installations, and events. Artist Ryuichi Ohira will present a new large-scale installation, The Circuit, created exclusively for Tokyo Gendai. The installation plays on the many definitions of the term ‘circuit’: race tracks; electrical circuits; the philosophical concept of a non-hierarchical, decentralized, and interconnected system; and a synapse in neurology. The work comprises a large slot car racetrack and features a series of objects and sculptures, some of which refer to a traditional Japanese and Chinese festival Tanabata (Star Festival).

Curated by Michiko Kasahara (Deputy Director, Artizon Museum) and Yuri Yamada (Curator, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum), a new program strand entitled TSUBOMI (‘flower bud’), will present a special exhibition, Life Actually: The Work of Contemporary Japanese Women Artists. The featured artists are Leiko Ikemura (ShugoArts), Tomoko Yoneda (ShugoArts), Ayaka Yamamoto (amanaTIGP), Kunié Sugiura (Taka Ishii Gallery), and Yurie Nagashima (MAHO KUBOTA GALLERY).

The additional NE (‘root’) section will feature the collection of several leading local foundations, including Obayashi Foundation, Fukutake Foundation, Yoshii Foundation, Daito Manabe from Rhizomatiks, Odawara Art Foundation, and Taguchi Art Collection.

Talk sessions by leaders of the Japanese art scene

The fair also offers special talk programs designed to foster conversations on contemporary culture in Japan and beyond and to discuss key trends, issues, and developments in the modern art world. Among the speakers are leading figures in Japanese art, such as Mami Kataoka (Director, Mori Art Museum), Takeo Obayashi (Chairman, Obayashi Corporation; Chairperson, Obayashi Foundation), Fumio Nanjo (Senior Advisor, Mori Art Museum; General Advisor, Towada Art Center; Senior Advisor, Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art; Executive Director, Arts Maebashi), and acclaimed sculptor Kohei Nawa.

Tickets information and discounts

Tickets are currently available on ArtSticker, the official ticket sales partner. The first-release tickets are on sale until June 10 for ¥5000 (admission for two people), early bird tickets are available from June 11 to June 23 (single entry), and advance tickets will be on sale from June 23 until July 5 for ¥3000 (single entry). Tokyo Art Beat readers can also access special ticket prices with additional discounts available during the fair’s duration.