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.

Speakers:
Yuichi Hirako (Artist)
Tomio Koyama (Owner/Director of Tomio Koyama Gallery)
Kotaro Nukaga (Director of Kotaro Nukaga)
Aiko Yuno (Artist)

Speakers’ Profiles

Yuichi Hirako
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
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
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
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).