ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Contemporary Art Exhibition at UNESCO World Heritage Site Nijo Castle!
Asia Corridor Contemporary Art Exhibition will take place at Kyoto Art Center (Registered Tangible Cultural Property) and Nijo Castle (Nijo-jo, the UNESCO World Heritage Site) this summer as part of a three-nation project Culture City of East Asia. A wide range of generations of internationally renowned artists from Japan, China and South Korea will participate in the exhibition and approximately 80% of the artworks presented by the 25 exhibitors will be newly created for the site.
This exhibition will allow visitors to experience the quality and intensity of contemporary art in the cultural city of Kyoto as well as come into contact with the passion and endeavors of artists from Japan, China and South Korea that pioneer new frontiers and transcend national identities through the universal approaches of art.
Director’s Message
The name of this event incorporates the hope that the Culture City of East Asia project will directly touch on the richness of the culture and arts in the region, becoming a place for sharing emotions and contributing, even if just a little, to building a more tolerant and harmonious society. Our idea of a “corridor” in Asia does not refer to the goal of simply moving from one place to the next. Rather, it is somewhere for enjoying the charms of traveling and exploring. The main venue is the UNESCO World Heritage site Nijo Castle, whose architecture and gardens are arranged almost like linked corridors for wandering around. In this way, visitors will view the artworks exhibited all over the vast castle grounds by moving in a circuit. By chance, this also serves as a metaphor for our concept of the “corridor” of asia. There await exciting encounters with the work of artists from different cultures and backgrounds.
Unlike an exhibition at an art museum, “Asia Corridor” is an art festival held at a location deeply imbued with the unique history of Kyoto. In contrast to festivals that are mere simulacra of theme parks, the venue is instilled with the living traces of early-modern Japan, which will surely provide much stimulation for the imaginations of the artists creating the exhibits.
This symbiosis of cutting-edge and experimental art with profound tradition is quintessentially Kyoto in spirit, and certain to conjure up a fascinating and mysterious atmosphere.
The world is today afflicted by isolationism and bigotry as well as endless cycle of terrorism and war. But it is above all in times like this that we can see such meaning in advancing the principles of this corridor and the Culture City of East Asia project, which endeavors to further the possibilities of communication and mutual understanding through culture and art. We hope you enjoy the exhibition.
Culture City of East Asia
Culture City of East Asia takes place annually in cities selected by the governments of Japan, China and South Korea as a series of yearlong cultural and arts events and exchange projects, furthering the development of the host cities as well as promoting mutual understanding and solidarity in the region through the power of culture. Alongside fellow 2017 host cities Changsha (China) and Daegu (South Korea), Kyoto will organize a wide range of events, including traditional culture, contemporary art, performing arts, music, manga (comic books), and anime (animation). Through the framework of its interchange with the other two host cities, Kyoto will strengthen reciprocity across the whole of East Asia as well as deepen ties between Japan, China and South Korea by the power of culture, and revitalize the region.
Japanese host cities: Kyoto (2017), Nara (2016), Niigata (2015), Yokohama (2014)
CREDIT
Organizers: Culture City of East Asia 2017 Kyoto Executive Committee, Kyoto City
Management: Culture City of East Asia 2017 Kyoto Contemporary Art Division Management Executive Committee
In partnership with Kyoto Art Center
Grant from
Corporate Sponsors
TEAM
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Artistic Director
Tatehata Akira
art critic, poet
Born in 1947 in Kyoto, Tatehata Akira graduated with a degree in French literature from Waseda University in 1972. From 2005– 11 he served as director of The National Museum of Art, Osaka, and was president of Kyoto City University of Arts from 2011–15. He has been director of Museum of Modern Art, Saitama since 2011, president of Tama Art University since 2016 and director of Kyoto Art Center since 2017. He specializes in modern and contemporary art. He has been involved with numerous Asian modern and contemporary art projects and international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale, where he was commissioner for the Japan Pavilion in 1990 and 1993, and as artistic director for Yokohama Triennale 2001 and Aichi Triennale 2010.
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Curator, Assistant Director
Yamamoto Mayumi
Chief Program Director, Kyoto Art Center
Born in Nara Prefecture, she joined Kyoto Art Center when it first opened as an art coordinator. Since then she has served as senior art coordinator and program director before becoming chief program director in 2016. She oversees the Center’s artist-in-residency program and exhibitions.
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Curator
Tokuyama Hirokazu
Associate Curator, Mori Art Museum
Born in Shizuoka Prefecture, he started working as a curator at Kyoto City University of Arts Art Gallery @KCUA from 2012 and joined Mori Art Museum from April 2016. He curates “SUNSHOWER: Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia 1980s to Now” taking place at Mori Art Museum until October 23, 2017. His major exhibitions at Kyoto City University of Arts Art Gallery @KCUA include the Guido Van der Werve solo exhibition “killing time” and Okumura Yuki exhibition “Na” in 2016, the Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Miyagi Futoshi solo exhibitions “PHOTOPHOBIA” and “American Boyfriend: Bodies of Water” in 2014, and “Kyoto City University of Arts transmit program #04 Kyoto Studio” in 2013. He was a recipient of the Kyoto City Special Bounty for Art and Culture in 2015. He resides in Tokyo.
Office
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Executive Director
Yamazaki Yayoi
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Assistant Curator
Itagaki Mika
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Assistant Curator / Educator
Kamimura Eriko
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Assistant Curator
Nishio Sakiko
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Coordinator
Funabashi Makiko
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Public Relations
Nishitani Eriko
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Intern
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Aoki Haruka
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Lee Jiwon
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Isogai Marii
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Inagaki Chisato
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Lee Minkyong
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Okabayashi Nanako
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Kajimura Kento
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Kato Chisato
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Sasaki Sonomi
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Sumin Chou
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Shi Che
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Han Hara
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Fukao Haruka
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Minatomoto Hiroyuki
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Mori Eimi
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Yasui Yuki
