A major retrospective of the internationally renowned architect Arata Isozaki, Arata Isozaki: Archipelagos of Architecture, will open on Saturday, November 1, at the Contemporary Art Gallery of Mito Art Tower in Ibaraki Prefecture.
Born in Ōita in 1931, Isozaki achieved global recognition for his architectural work, receiving the Pritzker Prize in 2019, often referred to as the “Nobel Prize of Architecture.” His notable projects include the Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art in Fukuoka, the Tsukuba Center Building in Ibaraki, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles. Beyond architecture, he authored numerous works on philosophy, art, and cultural criticism, establishing himself as a leading postmodern thinker.
Following his passing in 2022, this exhibition marks the first large-scale retrospective of Isozaki’s work to be held in Japan.
The exhibition focuses on one of Isozaki’s key spatial concepts, the archipelago, structuring his diverse activities across multiple fields like a network of islands. Visitors can explore Isozaki’s architectural philosophy through a wide range of media, including architectural models, drawings, sketches, installations, videos, prints, and watercolors.
Designed by Isozaki himself, the Mito Art Tower also serves as a venue for the exhibition, effectively becoming one of the works on display.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Mito Art Tower Guidebook, curated and written by architectural historian Taro Igarashi, will be published. The book features illustrated explanations of the building’s architectural features and design, making it an engaging read for both children and adults.
Arata Isozaki: Archipelagos of Architecture
Exhibition Period: November 1, 2025 (Sat) – January 25, 2026 (Sun)
Opening Hours: 10:00–18:00 (Last entry 17:30)
Venue: Mito Art Tower, Contemporary Art Gallery
Closed: Mondays (except Nov 3, Nov 24, Jan 12), Nov 4 (Tue), Nov 25 (Tue), Year-end/New Year (Dec 27, 2025 – Jan 3, 2026), Jan 13 (Tue)
Admission Fees:
General: ¥900
Groups (20+ people): ¥700
Free for high school students and younger, seniors (70+), and visitors with disabilities, plus one companion (ID required)
Annual Pass (valid one year): ¥2,000
First Friday Special Discount (students with ID and ages 65–69): ¥100 on the first Friday of each month (Nov 7, Dec 5, Jan 9)
Organizer: Mito City Arts Foundation
Sponsors: Ibaraki Architects Association, Ibaraki Architects Office Association, Shiba Architectural Design Office, Yokosuka Mitsuo Architects, Avic, Akatsuki Iijima Industry, Pal General Design, Kokusai Security, Mikami Architectural Office, Nemoto Architects, Shimizu Corporation, andHAND Architects, Tamura Construction
Supporters: AND EST HD Co., Ltd.
Partners/Cooperation: Arata Isozaki & Associates, MISA SHIN GALLERY, Oita Art Museum, Art Plaza, Nishinihon City Foundation, Yamaguchi Kirameki Foundation, Akiyoshidai International Art Village, Kochi Prefectural Museum of Art – Yasuhiko Ishimoto Photo Center, Estate of Jiro Takamatsu, Yumiko Chiba Associates, TANGE Architects & Urban Design, Nihon Tosho Transport Co., Ltd., Adastria Logistics, Toyo Ito & Associates, Kanabako Structural Design Office, Kumamoto Art Polis, Keio University Art Center, AAarchitects, MORF Architects, Aoi Construction Industry, Kato Woodworks, Suntory Holdings Co., Ltd., NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC]
Guest Curators: Ken Tadashi Oshima, Taro Igarashi, Shigeru Matsui
Exhibition Design: Hino Architecture
Planning: Yu Iseki (Chief Curator, Contemporary Art Center, Mito Art Tower)
Related Programs
Guest Curator Lecture 01: Taro Igarashi
Date/Time: Nov 2 (Sun), 14:00–15:30
Venue: Mito Art Tower Conference Room
Capacity: 80 (first-come, first-served)
Fee: Free
Guest Curator Lecture 02: Ken Tadashi Oshima
Date/Time: Dec 20 (Sat), 14:00–15:30
Venue: Mito Art Tower Conference Room
Capacity: 80 (first-come, first-served)
Fee: Free
Guest Curator Lecture 03: Shigeru Matsui
Date/Time: Jan 17, 2026 (Sat), 14:00–15:30
Venue: Mito Art Tower Conference Room
Capacity: 80 (first-come, first-served)
Fee: Free
Documentary Screening: The Unknown Architect
Date/Time: Dec 21 (Sun), 13:00–14:13 (Post-talk 14:15–14:45)
Venue: Mito Art Tower ACM Theater
Capacity: 150 (first-come, first-served)
Fee: Free (requires exhibition ticket or stub)
Director: Tomomi Ishiyama / Cinematography: Hiroki Buzan
Featuring: Tadao Ando, Arata Isozaki, Toyo Ito, Rem Koolhaas, Peter Eisenman, Charles Jencks, Toshio Nakamura, Yufu Futagawa, and others
Duration: 73 min
Post-talk: Tomomi Ishiyama × Toyo Ito
Lecture: The Unknown Story of Structures
Speaker: Atsuharu Kanabako, structural engineer for Mito Art Tower
Date/Time: Jan 11, 2026 (Sun), 14:00–15:30
Venue: Mito Art Tower Conference Room
Capacity: 80 (first-come, first-served)
Fee: Free
Arata Isozaki Study Group: Archaeology of the Archipelago
Discussion on Isozaki’s concept of “architectural external thinking” and its relation to art, aesthetics, media, and archival studies
Speakers: Hanae Ishimoto (Keio University Art Center), Yasuko Imura (National Art Center, Tokyo), Amihiko Kihara (Shoto Museum of Art), Haruhisa Koinuma (Kanazawa Institute of Technology), Mari Hattori (editor)
Moderator: Shigeru Matsui (Guest Curator)
Date/Time: Jan 18, 2026 (Sun), 11:00–17:00
Venue: Mito Art Tower Contemporary Art Gallery Workshop Room
Fee: Free (exhibition ticket required)
Mito Art Tower Guidebook
Guest curator Taro Igarashi supervises and writes this illustrated guide explaining the architectural features and design of Mito Art Tower
Designed by: Isuna Design
Mito Art Tower Tours
Guided tours by ATM FACE, offering access to normally restricted areas
Weekdays: 14:00, 16:00 | Weekends/Holidays: 11:00, 14:00, 16:00
Duration: ~45 min
Fee: Adults ¥600, Children (elementary/junior high) ¥500 (includes 1 drink at Saza Coffee, valid same day)
Sign-up: Mito Art Tower Tours
Educational Programs
Stroller Tour: Art Walk with Babies
Dates: Nov 21–22, 2025, 10:30–12:00
Venue: Contemporary Art Gallery
Capacity: ~5 families per session, reservation required
Fee: Parent 1,500 yen (free entry for children), additional parent 1,000 yen
Weekend Gallery Talk
Led by CAC volunteer gallery talkers
Dates: Every Saturday from Nov 15, 2025, 14:30 (~40 min)
Venue: Contemporary Art Gallery
Fee: Free (exhibition ticket required)
Preschool Program
For kindergarten/pre-school children (year-end classes), combining exhibition tours with workshops
Dates: Dec 3, 4, 9–11, 2025
Venue: Contemporary Art Gallery + Workshop Room
Fee: Up to 20 children ¥2,000; additional children ¥200 each
Target: 10–15 preschools
