International Art Fair ‘Tokyo Gendai’ Announces July Event, Reveals Program and Official Partners

Tokyo Gendai is a world-class fair that brings together internationally renowned contemporary art galleries to exhibit and sell artworks, and was first held in July 2023. In addition to the sale of artworks, the fair serves as a platform that connects the Japanese and international art scene and brings together a wide range of art communities, including galleries, artists, collectors, and audiences, to promote the sharing of new perspectives and ideas. In addition to gallery exhibitions, the fair will also feature public programs such as special exhibitions, art talks, and installations, as well as programs for invited guests such as opening events and artist studio visits in collaboration with art museums around Japan, providing a multifaceted art experience. The program also includes opening events and artist studio visits in collaboration with art museums around Japan.
From the “Tokyo Gendai” Public Relations Office press release

Tsubomi ‘Flower Bud
Tsubomi,” an exhibition program focusing on social issues that was well received last year, will be held again this year. The program spotlights four female artists of different nationalities, generations, and cultural identities, presenting the creativity and possibilities that arise from finding connections between different things in a world that is becoming increasingly fragmented.

This year, SPECTRUM, an international collective that develops art projects that challenge ideas about expression and diversity, presents a special exhibition titled “ALL THINGS ARE DELICATELY INTERCONNECTED. The exhibition is co-curated by Marina Amada (independent art curator), co-founder of the organization, and Soojung Yi (curator, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea). Featuring works that examine our relationship with civilization and the natural environment, the exhibition will present a diverse range of works, from the latest works by up-and-coming artists to works by artists who have never before received attention.

The exhibition will feature works by Mika Tajima (TARO NASU, Tokyo), a New York-based artist who explores new perceptual experiences while freely moving between the boundaries of painting, sculpture, video, and performance; Miya Ando (Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York), who expresses the coexistence of Eastern and Western cultures through natural phenomena; and the works of Mika Tajima (TARO NASU, Tokyo), a New York-based artist who explores the relationship between the natural environment and the human body. (Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York), American conceptual artist Jenny Holzer (SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, Tokyo), who uses various media such as electric billboards, stone sculptures, paintings, billboards, and printed matter to create texts in public spaces, and Thai artists who use performance, photography, video, and installation, The exhibition will feature works by four artists, ranging from established to mid-career artists, including Jenny Holzer (SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, Tokyo), an American conceptual artist who uses various media to create texts in public spaces, and Sareena Sattapon (SAC Gallery, Bangkok), a visual artist from Thailand who expresses herself through performance, photography, video, and installation.

Sato ‘Meadow
Four large-scale installations highlighting new themes in contemporary art will be presented.

1) Tomio Koyama Gallery (Tokyo)
The exhibition will feature the installation “Shushukei” by Kishio Suga, known as a central member of the “Mono-ha” art movement of the late 60’s and 70’s. Suga’s works are made of wood, stone, and glass. Suga uses wood, stone, metal, rope, and other materials to create works that demonstrate the equality and interdependence of nature, objects, and people.

2) GALLERY SIDE 2 (Tokyo)
Every game begins with ‘LOVE'” by Udomsak Krisanamis from Thailand will be exhibited. The installation consists of paintings, a checkerboard game with original chairs, analog records, and a sound system.

KOTARO NUKAGA (Tokyo)
Uichiro E. Tamura’s “The Cowboy on the Grass,” created especially for this fair, will be exhibited. The work is a performative piece featuring three bandana-clad cowboys resting on a giant green bandana-patterned carpet, and is based on Edouard Manet’s “Lunch on the Grass.

(4) MtK Contemporary Art, Kyoto
Kengo Kito will exhibit his installation “LINES” in collaboration with a video artist for Tokyo Gendai.

Ne ‘Root
This is a special exhibition by several leading foundations in Japan.

1) Odawara Cultural Foundation
In addition to the concept of the Enoura Weather Station, conceived as a place to disseminate art and culture domestically and internationally, the exhibition introduces the new exhibition facility “Mt. Amachibanayama Museum of Art” scheduled to begin construction in 2024 and the architectural plan of the residence “Katsurabana House” designed by Chenichi Shirai.

(2) Fukutake Foundation
Introducing the new activities of Benesse Art Site Naoshima, including the new museum scheduled to open in the spring of 2025.

Yoshii Foundation
Introducing Seishun Art Village, an arts and culture complex operated by the Yoshii Foundation in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, as its base.

4) Obayashi Foundation
The Obayashi Foundation supports artists, thinkers, and researchers who are interested in urban development and the future of urban planning. 5) Japan Contemporary Art Dealers Association (CADAN)
Introducing “My Pick,” an exhibition in which art collectors introduce their favorite artists and the joy of collecting, and the activities of the gallery space CADAN Yurakucho, which reopened this May, through video and panels.