52 Venues Set for November’s “Tokyo Art Week,” Featuring ‘Buyable Exhibitions’ Curated by Mami Kataoka

Art Week Tokyo 2024″ will be held from November 7 (Thu) to 10 (Sun), 2012, with the participation of 52 museums/galleries in Tokyo.

Art Week Tokyo (AWT) is an international contemporary art event that has been held since 2022. In cooperation with the Agency for Cultural Affairs and in partnership with Art Basel, one of the world’s largest art fairs held in Switzerland, AWT aims to present the “now” of contemporary art in Tokyo through a variety of programs that allow visitors to experience art from various perspectives.

During the Triennial, “AWT FOCUS,” an exhibition based on the concept of “an exhibition you can buy,” will be held at the Okura Shukokan in Toranomon. This is a curated program of contemporary art that combines the experience of viewing artworks at the museum and purchasing artworks at the gallery, and all exhibited works are available for purchase. The program will be curated by Mami Kataoka, Director of the Mori Art Museum and Director of the National Art Research Center, and will be based on the theme of “Earth, Wind and Fire,” and will consider the future of the universe as seen in art from Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.

The video program “AWT VIDEO” will be supervised by Sohrab Mohebbi, an art critic/artist and director of the New York Sculpture Center. The program will feature selected video works by artists from the participating galleries.

In addition, “AWT BAR” will open at the emergence aoyama complex in Minami Aoyama. In a space designed by an up-and-coming architect, AWT BAR will serve dishes created for the event by a new generation of chefs and cocktails created in collaboration with artists. The program has become a popular place for art fans and professionals from Japan and abroad to gather and relax.

Before and during “Art Week Tokyo,” “AWT TALKS,” consisting of symposiums and an online talk series, will be held. Through discussions with invited curators and thinkers from Japan and abroad, AWT TALKS will provide information on topics, issues, and history at the forefront of the industry. In addition, guided tours and seminars for would-be collectors and art education programs for children and young people will provide learning opportunities for those who have never had contact with the art world or who feel they have a high threshold to it. Details of the program will be announced around September.

A record number of 52 museums/galleries/art spaces will participate in the event, including Pace Gallery, which is scheduled to open in Azabudai Hills in July 2024. The AWT BUS, a free shuttle bus, will travel between these art spaces and the venues of the Art Week Tokyo program as part of the “Art Week Tokyo Mobile Project. The route will be announced around August.

Comments from Atsuko Ninagawa, event director, and Art Basel have been released on the occasion of the event.

Comments from Atsuko Ninagawa, Director of Art Week Tokyo 2024

Art Week Tokyo is a new type of art event that combines the elements of an art festival, where visitors can deeply experience the world of art, with an art fair for the purpose of collecting artworks and an art school for learning art. It has served to weave Tokyo into the global art context while providing an open forum for anyone to explore the world of art more casually, freely, and deeply. Now in its third year since its full-fledged launch, the art community will continue to work together to create a place that encourages creativity in Tokyo.

Comment from Art Basel

Art Week Tokyo celebrates Tokyo’s rich art scene by highlighting the talented individuals working in the Japanese arts and culture sector and providing an opportunity for the community to come together. The close collaboration with Art Week Tokyo has been a symbiotic partnership that has been a cornerstone of Art Basel’s activities in the Asian region. This is in keeping with Art Basel’s commitment to contributing to the sustainable growth of galleries and the art ecosystem that supports them through new art events. We believe that the success of Art Week Tokyo, which provides a venue for participants to immerse themselves in the Tokyo art scene and experience culture in a deep and comprehensive way, will further enhance Tokyo’s position in the art world.