Press

November 4, 2022

Press Release no.5

This year, in an effort to enrich the conference experience, ACK has invited international art scene experts to speak on a range of topics, from the international art market and its ecosystem, to art scene trends in Japan and further afield, and NFT art. The talk events will be held at the Kyoto ICC and streamed online. We look forward to seeing you! (Includes Japanese/English simultaneous interpretation.)

All programs will be held at the Foyer of the ICC Kyoto New Hall and online otherwise specified.
See (https://2022.a-c-k.jp/en/talks/) for streaming URLs and up-to-date information.

November 17 Thurs.

1) 4:30pm−5:30pm

Opening Talk: On Creating a Collection – The Direction of the Art Market

Collector Takeo Obayashi, who has been observing the art scene both locally and further afield for many years from his base in Japan, in conversation with Mark Rappolt, who plans exhibitions around the world while also involving himself in media with a bird’s eye view of the art market/world. At this opening talk, they will discuss the current state and the future of the art scene from their two unique perspectives.

Takeo Obayashi (Chairman, Representative Director of the Obayashi Corporation)
Takeo Obayashi (b. 1954, Tokyo, Japan) joined Obayashi Corp after he graduated Keio University and completed his MS at Stanford University. From 1983 to 2009 he served as the Director of Obayashi Corporation, and is currently the Chairman of Obayashi Corporation and the Co-Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation). In Japan, he is the Chairperson of the Aichi Triennale Organizing Committee, Board Member of Mori Art Museum, Council Member of Hara Museum ARC, and more. Overseas, he is an International Council Member of both the Tate and MoMA, making substantial contributions to the worlds of business and art.

Mark Rappolt (Editor-in-Chief, ArtReview and ArtReview Asia)
Mark Rappolt is the Editor-in-Chief of ArtReview since 2006 and founded its sister publication, ArtReview Asia, in 2013. His writing has appeared in a number of publications, ranging from The Times and Die Zeit to i-D and Citizen K, and includes exhibition catalogues on artists such as David Cronenberg, Bharti Kher, and Yuko Mohri. Books include monographs on architects Greg Lynn and Frank Gehry. Between 2016 and 2018, with Aimee Lin, he curated Xiàn Chang, a special section of the West Bund Art & Design fair in Shanghai. Recent exhibitions include a two-part exhibition Like a Moth to a Flame (cocurated with Tom Eccles and Liam Gillick, the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and the OGR, Turin, 2017); the touring show Breaking the Waves (the chi K11 Art Museum, Shanghai and the K11 MUSEA, Hong Kong, 2021); and One Tiger or Another (cocurated with Tom Eccles, Mathaf, Doha, 2022).

November 18 Fri.

2) 12:30pm−1:30pm

Artist Talk: An Examination of Painting Today

From media art and bio art to NFTs, the scope of what can be called “art” grows by the day, and shows us vistas and worlds that have not been seen before. Of all these many forms, there is still one that holds everyone, artists and otherwise, rapt: the painting. Despite carrying on for hundreds, thousands of years, it continues to evolve in new ways, inspiring our sensibilities. This talk will rethink the reasons behind this and the possibilities and significance of painting in the present day.

Kenjiro Hosaka (Director of Shiga Museum of Art)
Kenjiro Hosaka (b. 1976, Ibaraki, Japan) completed the master’s course at Keio University. He was a curator at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT) before he was appointed as a director of the Shiga Museum of Art in 2021. He has curated many exhibitions including Francis Bacon (MOMAT, 2013), Logical Emotion: Contemporary Art from Japan (Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich, etc., 2014-15), The Voice Between: The Art and Poetry of Yoshimasu Gozo (MOMAT, Tokyo, 2016), The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945 (MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Arts, Rome / MOMAT, Tokyo, 2016-17), and Genius: The Human Gift for Creating and Living (SMoA, Shiga, Japan, 2021).

Shunsuke Imai (Artist)　
Shunsuke Imai (b. 1978, Fukui, Japan) completed the master’s course at Musashino Art University in 2004. He works mainly in painting, considering color, shape, and space for the basis of his works. He explores the possibilities of two-dimensional surfaces, and the fundamental meaning of “the act of seeing.”
His recent exhibitions include shiseido art egg vol. 8 Shunsuke Imai ‘range finder’ (Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo, 2014), float (HAGIWARA PROJECTS, Tokyo, 2017), range finder (Kunstverein Grafschaft Bentheim, Neuenhaus, Germany,2019), Skirt and Scene (Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, Kagawa, Japan, 2022), and the group exhibition Paintings Here and Now (Fuchu Art Museum, 2018).

Reina Mikame (Painter)　
Reina Mikame (b.1992, Aichi, Japan) graduated from the Program in Master of Oil Painting Course, Department of Painting, Tokyo University of the Arts. Mikame’s paintings are created in a manner that appears to drift back and forth between opposite ends of the spectrum of the abstract and the objective. Familiar elements that exist within the artist’s surroundings, the artist’s experiences, and the various phenomena that emerge around the artist are conveyed through means of a harmonious balance between the paint and the brushstrokes. At a glance harnessing a precise air of brevity yet at the same time profoundly orchestrated, the works seemingly evolve into abstract portrayals, while in other moments embody a sense of objectivity. Selected solo exhibitions include: project N 69 Reina Mikame (Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo, 2017), Looking at the color (Yutaka Kikutake Gallery, Tokyo, 2020), Looking at the line (Yutaka Kikutake Gallery, Tokyo, 2021).

3) 1:45pm−2:45pm　

Partner’s Talk 1: An Artist and Society
Supported by by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.

Venue：ICC Kyoto New Hall Foyer and online
Speakers: Akira Fujimoto (Artist), Koki Tanaka (Artist)
See (https://2022.a-c-k.jp/en/talks/) for streaming URLs and up-to-date information.

4) 3pm−4pm

Online Lecture：Critical Zone: Practices about the Ecosystem

Venue：ICC Kyoto New Hall Foyer and online

The Critical Zone is the name for the area that includes soil we stand upon and the air that envelops the earth in a thin, membrane-like layer, and in recent years it has been used often as a theme in international exhibitions. The cracks separating our lives and the global environment are not a recent development, but contemporary society has certainly made those cracks grow larger. How to understand and accept this changing order on a cosmic scale, and how to live through this complicated era? This talk will feature ideas surrounding the Critical Zone.

Martin Guinard (Curator of LUMA)
Martin Guinard is co-curator of LUMA Days. With a background in visual arts and art history, he has worked on several interdisciplinary projects dealing with ecological mutation in collaboration with Bruno Latour. He was the curator of the Taipei 2020 biennial entitled “You and I don’t live on the same planet” and is currently working on its reiteration at the Centre Pompidou Metz (opening in November 2021). He co-curated the exhibition “Critical Zone” at ZKM, Karlsruhe (2020-2021) and the exhibition “Reset Modernity!” (2016). He also directed two workshop platforms continuing the research initiated in the exhibition Reset Modernity! in Shanghai (2017) and Tehran (2017-2018).

Hiroki Yamamoto (Lecturer of Kanazawa College of Art)
Hiroki Yamamoto (b. 1986, Chiba, Japan) is Lecturer at Kanazawa College of Art. Yamamoto graduated from Hitotsubashi University in 2010 and completed his M.A. in Fine Art at Chelsea College of Arts (UAL), London in 2013. In 2018, he received a Ph.D. from the University of the Arts London. From 2013 until 2018, he worked at Research Centre for Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN) as a postgraduate research fellow. After working at Asia Culture Center (ACC) in Gwangju, South Korea as a research fellow and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the School of Design as a postdoctoral fellow, he was Assistant Professor at Tokyo University of the Arts until 2020. His single-authored publications are The History of Contemporary Art: Euro-America, Japan, and Transnational (Chuo Koron Sha, 2019) and Art of the Post-Anthropocene (Bijutsu Shuppan sha, 2022). His co-authored publications include Media and Culture in Transnational Asia (Rutgers University Press, 2020), Socially Engaged Public Art in East Asia (Vernon Press, 2022), and Art and the New Ecology: The Anthropocene as a ‘Dithering Time’ (Ibunsha, 2022).

5) 4:30pm−5:30pm

Partner’s Talk 2: Game/ Art/ Media
Supported by Yamauchi No.10 Family Office

Venue：ICC Kyoto New Hall Foyer and online
Speakers: Daito Manabe (Artist), Hiroshi Yoshida (Associate Professor, Tokyo University), Kensho Tambara (Curator)
See (https://2022.a-c-k.jp/en/talks/) for streaming URLs and up-to-date information.

November 19 Sat.

6) 1pm−2pm

Special Session: Global Perspectives on the Current Position of Art in Asia

In the present age, where diverse values coexist and new forms of art are being tested daily, collaborative relationships, not only between artists themselves and between artists and galleries, but also between galleries, are increasingly important. In this time of global collaboration and connection, cross-cultural perspectives are perhaps more valued than ever. This talk will welcome speakers of different backgrounds to talk about the Asian art market from their global perspectives, and take a broad view of the art world as a whole.

Sadie Coles (Owner of Sadie Coles HQ)　

Sadie Coles (b. 1963, the United Kingdom) graduated from Middlesex University. Coles spent six years working for Anthony d’Offay, before opening her London-based gallery in April 1997 and it now exists over three galleries in central London. The gallery represents around 50 established and emerging international artists. The inaugural exhibition of new paintings by John Currin was shown in parallel with an offsite show by British artist Sarah Lucas and in recent years younger artists such as Alvaro Barrington, Yu Ji, Helen Marten and Martine Syms have joined the programme.

Jeffrey Rosen (Owner/Director of Misako & Rosen)　
Jeffrey Ian Rosen (b. 1977, Texas, USA) is co-founder, together with his wife, Misako, of MISAKO & ROSEN, a contemporary art gallery located in Tokyo, Japan. The gallery is also one of three spaces that contribute to the collaborative gallery project LA MAISON DE RENDEZ-VOUS in Brussels, Belgium. Rosen is co-president of the board of NADA (New Art Dealers Alliance) and a member of the IGA (International Galleries Alliance). Following the motto, “art is not a competition,” Rosen believes in the need to develop alternative, commercially viable models to counter a profit-driven approach to contemporary art.

Holly Roussell (Curator of UCCA Center for Contemporary Art)　
Holly Roussell (b. 1989, Vermont, USA) is a curator, museologist, and art historian specialising in photography and contemporary art from Asia based between Switzerland and China. She is currently curator at the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, China’s leading contemporary art institution. In addition, Roussell serves as artistic advisor for Fotografiska Shanghai (opening 2023) and curator for the Curiosa sector showcasing emerging artists and galleries at Paris Photo (2022).
Roussell has organized more than 20 group and solo exhibitions for festivals, biennale, and museums around the world. In 2022, she joins the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, South Korea as International Curatorial Researcher in residence.

7) 2:15pm−3:15pm

Partner’s Talk 3: Collecting and Archiving A Gaming Experience
Supported by Yamauchi No.10 Family Office

Speakers: Koichi Hosoi (Professor, Ritsumeikan University), Yoichiro Miyake (Game-AI Researcher), Kazuho Soeda (Curator, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art)
See (https://2022.a-c-k.jp/en/talks/) for streaming URLs and up-to-date information.

8) 3:30pm−4:30pm

Special Talk: Nicolas Bouriaud

Cooperation: Institut français du Japon
With his 1998 book, Esthétique relationnelle (Relational Aesthetics) he established the genre of relational art, and this year, with the release of the Japanese translation of Radicant, Nicolas Bourriaud is as pertinent as ever. Bourriaud established the Palais de Tokyo, served as director of the multi-site institution Montpellier Contemporain (MoCo) with its art center, art school, and museum, and is now an independent curator.
His talk will focus on his ideas and vision through an introduction of his projects past and present.

Nicolas Bouriaud (Curator and Writer)
Nicolas Bourriaud, born in 1965, is a curator and writer. He is the founder of Radicants. Recent exhibitions he has curated include; Planet B. Climate change and the new sublime (Palazzo Bollani, Venice, 2022) and The 7th Continent (Istanbul Biennial, 2019). Bourriaud was the director of Montpellier Contemporain (MoCo), an institution he created, gathering the La Panacée art centre, the Ecole Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and the MoCo Museum, from 2016 to 2021. He was the director of the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris from 2011 to 2015. From 2010 to 2011, he headed the studies department at the Ministry of Culture in France. He was Gulbenkian Curator for Contemporary Art at Tate Britain in London from 2007 to 2010 and founder advisor for the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in Kyiv. He also founded and co-directed the Palais de Tokyo, Paris between 1999 and 2006.

Kei Osawa (Curator & Associate Researcher, The University Museum, the University of Tokyo (UMUT))
Kei Osawa (b. 1984) graduated from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. From the perspective of Art History and Aesthetics, conducts research on postwar Japanese art, Japanese crafts as well as the history of jazz recordings. As a curator, organized exhibitions in Japan and abroad, among others at the Intermediatheque in Tokyo.

　

9) 5pm−6pm

Online Lecture: The Future of NFT Art

Since 2021, NFT art has been a target of much attention. Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) assign a unique value to digital data that would normally be easily copied using block chain technology, and digital art that has had value added to it through this technology is known as NFT art. Media artists involved in NFT art will unravel its origins and idiosyncrasies, and explore its future potential and expected developments.

Harm van den Dorpel (Artist)
Harm van den Dorpel (b. 1981, Zaandam, the Netherlands, lives and works in Berlin) dedicated to discovering emergent aesthetics, composing software and language, borrowing from disparate fields such as genetics and blockchain. He co-founded the now closed early NFT marketplace “”left gallery.””
His work has been widely shown at exhibitions including the New Museum in New York, MoMA PS1 in New York, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, MMCA Seoul, ZKM Karlsruhe, and the Netherlands Media Art Institute in Amsterdam.\

Yoichi Ochiai (Media Artist / Assiciate Professor at University of Tsukuba)
Yoichi Ochiai (b. 1987, Tokyo, Japan) received his Ph.D. in Applied Computer Science from the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information. He is Associate Professor at the University of Tsukuba where he is also Head of Research and Development Centre for Digital Nature. He is Principal Investigator for the JST CREST xDiversity project, has received Super Creator / Genius Programmer titles from the Information-Technology Promotion Agency, Japan. From 2017 to 2019, he was advisor to President of University of Tsukuba, From 2018, he was committee member of IP Strategy and Visionary committee member of Moonshot Program at CAO Japan, member of Digital Transformation Committee, Japan Cultural Envoy, Theme Producer of EXPO2025.
His work explores the intersections between images and materials, nature and computers, and freely crosses the boundaries of computer science, applied physics and media arts.

November 20 Sun.

10) 12:30pm−1:30pm

Galleries and Artists: Cooperating and Coexisting

As the shape of art and the art scene changes, relationships between gallerists and artists are also changing by the day. This talk will give an inside view on these collaborations and coexistent relationships. The aim is to allow the audience to gain a broader knowledge of artists and gallerists by gazing relatively at each gallery’s different relationships and changes, and think about what sort of relationships are needed for the future of artists and art.

Yuichi Hirako (Artist)
Yuichi Hirako (b. 1982, Okayama, Japan, based in Tokyo, Japan) graduated from the Wimbledon College of Art(England) in 2006. His work focuses on the coexistence of plants, nature, and people, and the ambiguities and questions that emerge within this relationship. Catalyzed by his discomfort with the definition of “nature” as the plants in controlled, man-made environments, such as house plants, urban tree planting, and public parks, Hirako explores the boundary between nature and humans in contemporary society through his artworks. Though his practice focuses on painting, he also creates drawings, sculptures, installations, and sound performances. Hirako has also shown his works in London, Rotterdam, Shanghai,and Seoul, among other countries, and continues to exhibit actively abroad.

Tomio Koyama (Owner/Director of Tomio Koyama Gallery)　
Tomio Koyama (b. 1963, Tokyo, Japan) graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts. After working for Nishimura Gallery and Shiraishi Contemporary Art, he opened the Tomio Koyama Gallery in 1996. At the time of its opening, he carried works by Yoshitomo Nara and Takashi Murakami, greatly changing Japan’s art scene. Current artists include Kishio Suga, Hiroshi Sugito, Mika Ninagawa, and Richard Tuttle, as well as ceramic artists and more; showcasing a broad range of works across borders and genres, from giants to new talents. Koyama uses his unique perspective to bring ever more expansion and enhancement to the contemporary art market. Currently representative director of Contemporary Art Dealers Association Nippon (CADAN) and a member of the board of directors of Japan Art Dealers’ Association (Zenbiren).　Major writings include Gendai Āto Bijinesu (ASCII Shinsho, 2008), Okane Kara Miru Gendai Āto (Kodansha +α Bunko, 2015) and more.

Kotaro Nukaga (Director of Kotaro Nukaga)
Kotaro Nukaga (b. 1980, Kanagawa, Japan) graduated from Waseda University with a B.A. degree in Art History, and he compleated his M.A. in Art History from University College London. Surrounded by the family business dealing mainly in Western Art from a young age, he inherited the Nukaga Gallery in 2008, and in 2012 moved it to Ginza, where he expanded its offerings to include Japanese postwar art. In 2018, he opened the Kotaro Nukaga contemporary art gallery in Tennozu, Tokyo, and began activities with both Japanese and international artists. He introduces energetic artists like Tomokazu Matsuyama and Yuichi Hirako, as well as artists that have not yet had shows in Japan, including Stefan Brüggemann and Tony Matelli. His work stimulates dialogue between contemporary art and society, and encourages consideration of its transdisciplinary nature in relation to other cultures and fields of study.

Aiko Yuno (Artist)
Aiko Yuno (b. 1993, Osaka, Japan) graduated with a BFA from Kyoto University of Art and Design in 2018, participated in a short exchange program at the Royal College of Art (London) in 2017, and in the Kuandu Residency Program at Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan in 2018. Her work is based on the gaps and emotions that stretch between childhood and adolescence, using a range of techniques and materials including metal, resin, ceramics, acrylic paint and more to create paintings and sculptural works.
Solo exhibitions include When I’m small (Tomio Koyama Gallery, 2021). Major group exhibitions include CAF Award Selected Group Exhibition (Daikanyama Hillside Forum, 2017), Gunma Biennale for Young Artists (2019), Kyoto Perspective (ANB Tokyo, 2021).

11) 2pm−3pm

Special Session: Kyoto as a Global Art City

Kyoto, with its long history and unique atmosphere that remains preserved to the present day. Traditional entertainment and crafts live on while at the same time it is also a lively center for international contemporary art, photography, and performance, with cultural events held daily. The closing talk will explore the potential of Kyoto as an international art city, taking into consideration the many factors surrounding Kyoto, how to preserve its tradition and existing landscape while making the most of its position as a world-class cultural center.

Tomoharu Inoue (Board Chairman of Culture Vision Japan Foundation Inc.)
Tomoharu Inoue (b. 1955, Osaka, Japan) became Chairman of Culture Vision Japan Foundation Inc. (CVJ) in February 2015. CVJ began activities working towards achieving a country of culture and art in 2014. As a platform where the creative, industry, government, and academic members of Japan’s culture and art fields come together, it carries out a range of cultural and economic strategy programs. Currently, Inoue is involved with several corporations, as President of Inoue Business Consultants Co., Ltd., Chairman of Bijutsu Shuppan-Sha Co., Ltd., Director of Rakuten Baseball, Inc. and more. He also worked as Deputy Owner of Rakuten Baseball, Inc. and Board Chairperson of Pacific League. He has also been Board Chairman of Japan Society of Sports Industry, Visiting Professor, Waseda University Business School of Commerce (Business Major), and Guest Senior Researcher, Waseda University
Comprehensive Research Organization.

Takatoshi Nishiwaki (Governer of Kyoto Prefecture)
Takatoshi Nishiwaki (B. 1955, Kyoto, Japan) graduated from University of Tokyo and joined the Ministry of Construction in 1979. After working as Deputy Director-General of the Road Bureau, Director-General of the Policy Bureau, Chief Cabinet Secretary, and a Vice-Minister for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport before becoming the Vice-Minister of the Reconstruction Agency in 2016. In April 2018, he was elected Governor of Kyoto Prefecture. In April 2022 he was re-elected, and began his second term. He also holds many official positions including Deputy Chairman of the Union of Kansai Governments, and Deputy Director of the National Governors’ Association COVID-19 Emergency Countermeasures Headquarters.

Yuki Terase (Founding Partner of Art Intelligence Global)
Yuki Terase began her art career at Sotheby’s in 2011 and was appointed Head of Contemporary Art, Asia, in 2018. During her tenure, Yuki drove Hong Kong’s bi-annual contemporary art auctions into $100 million+ events and secured market leadership in Asia for seven consecutive seasons.
In addition to overseeing record-breaking sales of works by major Asian contemporary artists, Yuki established new benchmarks for Western art in Asia and was instrumental in placing numerous blue-chip works into prominent private and institutional collections. Known for her innovative curatorial approach, Yuki worked with a number of cultural leaders in organizing pioneering themed auctions that influenced collecting habits in the Asian market. Prior to joining Sotheby’s, Yuki worked at Morgan Stanley’s Mergers and Acquisition advisory team in Tokyo.

Moderator: Yukako Yamashita (Director of Art Collaboration Kyoto)
Born in Tokyo in 1988 to a family that runs a tea ceremony utensils business in Kyoto.
After graduating from Keio University, she completed an MA in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. From 2011 to 2017, she interned at Sotheby’s London Chinese Works of Art Department before joining Sotheby’s Japan, where she oversaw the sales of contemporary art. She was primarily involved in the collection and sales of Japanese postwar art at auction in Europe. She founded the gallery THE CLUB in 2017. She has been a visiting professor at Kyoto University of the Arts since 2020.

ACK Overview

Fair period: November 18 Fri.−November 20 Sun., 2022
Preview: November 17 Thurs.　*Press and Invited guests only
Hours: noon−7pm (closed at 5pm on the last day)
Last Admission: 1 hour before closing
Venue: Kyoto International Conference Center Event Hall (Add: Takaragaike, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City) and others
Participating galleries: 64 galleries (12 countries/regions, 21 cities)
Organizer: Art Collaboration Kyoto Executive Committee
       Kyoto Prefecture,
       Association for the Promotion of Contemporary Art in Japan,
       Contemporary Art Dealers Association Nippon,
       Culture Vision Japan Foundation Inc.,
       The Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
       Kyoto Convention and Visitors Bureau
Support: The Cabinet Office, Government of Japan in the fiscal 2022,
     The Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan in the fiscal 2022

Please note: Information listed here is current as of November 4, 2022. There may be some changes
due to extenuating circumstances. For updated information, check the official website or social media
channels.

　

Press Contact
ACK Executive Committee, Overseas Media Relations
Yoshiko Nawa press@2022.a-c-k.jp