Tokyo Art Week draws international attention to Japan

“Our aim is not only to promote Japanese art, but also to facilitate encounters that may bear fruit in the future,” explained Andrew Maerkle, Editorial Director of Art Week, “over the past five years, there has been an increase in the number of VIP guests from abroad. For a long time, the local scene was isolated, partly due to the language barrier. We don’t just want to send Japanese artists abroad, but also to bring international art professionals here. Art Week has shown them the depth of the scene, beyond well-known names such as Murakami, Kusama or On Kawara . The generous support from the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a national body, ed.) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (a city body, ed.) means we do not have to ask galleries for a contribution. Until last year, participation was by invitation only; now applicants can apply and we have a selection committee, to ensure the event remains manageable in scale.” The amount of the funding, shared more or less equally between the two institutions, is not disclosed.

Tokyo Jazz Club, veduta da fuori, opera video di Rivane Neuenschwander, Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, São Paulo/ Rio de Janeiro

Another new development that generated further buzz at this year’s art week was the arrival of Tokyo Jazz Club, an alternative fair created by the founders of Basel Social Club in Basel during Art Basel. The event attracted a large, cross-generational crowd, thanks in part to its evening events, music and talks. The name takes its cue from the city’s famous listening bars, whilst the venue hosting it was a charming former capsule hotel – the sort of hostel where you sleep in capsules – where art had even found its way into the bathrooms and showers, although these weren’t always the most suitable places to showcase it. Italian artists were also featured: from Maurizio Cattelan, with Three Star Books from Paris, who presented a reworked version of his 2001 miniature lifts, which suited the venue perfectly and proved a great success (200,000 euros + VAT). The artist has hardly ever exhibited in Japan, despite being well-known, but discussions are now underway with various institutions.

But there were also younger artists such as Jacopo Mazzetti with Fitzpatrick Gallery, co-founder of the fair, and Bianca Millan, who gave a performance alongside Romain Sarrot and Samuel Fasse. Milan’s Octagon Gallery, meanwhile, collaborated with Ratio Artis in Venice to showcase drawings by the Swiss artist Jacques Duboux, a finalist in the 2026 Swiss Art Awards, and Lisa Ponti. The latter, daughter of Gio Ponti, who worked alongside him and only began her own career as an artist later in life, was exhibited in Tokyo for the first time, but was appreciated for her almost ‘kawaii’ aesthetic, which in reality conceals a lengthy process of synthesis and reduction to the essentials (1,800–4,000 euros). “It’s a different market from those in Europe,” commented the Venetian gallery owner Marica Denora, “because the sales process takes longer.”

« Summer Sounds», 2024 di Mary Weatherford. Shellac ink on gampi torinoko paper, 56.5 x 83.8 cm

“This week has become very important to us,” commented Takayuki Mashiyama of the Taka Ishii Gallery. “Because it brings in international collectors and makes us feel part of the international calendar. In Japan, the market is growing, but it is still relatively small, so we need to take part in international fairs. But there is also an advantage to this, namely that it has not been as badly affected by the crisis as larger markets, such as Europe and the US. Before the pandemic, 70 per cent of our clients were foreign and 30 per cent domestic; immediately after the pandemic, we reached a 50-50 split, and now we’re at 60-40. There are certain psychological factors that do not help. For example, in Japan there is strong social pressure, so people look at what others are doing and act accordingly, whereas in contemporary art, everyone must make their own decisions. There is also an issue linked to the traditional home: until the end of the Meiji period (1868–1912), the walls of the house were bare and there was only one wall dedicated to works of art, with an ikebana arrangement in front of it. Later, Japan began the process of Westernisation and homes started to be adapted to the foreign model, but that idea of bare walls remained.” For Art Week Tokyo, the gallery exhibited new watercolours by Sterling Ruby, which seem to move beyond the theme of social violence and instead reveal the full severity of the ocean and nature, serving as a metaphor for what we are currently experiencing.

« What Colours Can We Dream in This Night Filled with Salt?», 2025 di Julianknxx. Veduta dell’installazione, 36esima Biennale di San Paolo, 2025

Most galleries have staged exhibitions by international artists, such as Kayokoyuki, featuring new paintings by Anna Glantz, who exhibited at the Bonollo Foundation earlier this year; or a hugely renowned artist such as Philippe Parreno at Taro Nasu. “It’s a great opportunity for us,” commented gallery owner Masako Hosoi, “lots of interesting people are coming from abroad. The market here has potential; it’s growing. We’re seeing a wider variety of collectors: up until 20 years ago, there was a group of very dedicated enthusiasts, but they weren’t very keen on socialising; now there are people buying art and design for all sorts of reasons. They set up their own companies in their 30s or 40s and are now turning their attention to art.

A new addition to the art scene is Space Un, which focuses on African and diaspora art – a market that has not existed in Japan until now (when people talk about African art, they tend to think of masks and tribal art). The founder, the Cameroonian-French Edna Dumas, established the gallery in 2024 because she could not find contemporary art from the continent in Tokyo. She has also established an artist residency in Nara to promote direct exchange between Africa and Asia, bypassing Europe or the US, where the market is concentrated. The current exhibition is Julianknoxx’s first in Japan, featuring photographs and sculptures priced between 18,000 and 45,000 pounds.

Among the most popular exhibitions was the one by Take Ninagawa featuring Koji Kamoji, a Japanese artist now living in Poland who remains relatively unknown in his home country; Waiting Room has organised an exhibition of textile art and has noted a growing interest in recent years in new media such as video art and installation art.

Finally, among the new partners of Art Week was the Italian Embassy, which opened its stunning premises to the public. The building, constructed in 1965 to a design by the architects Pierfrancesco Borghese and Masachika Murata, and surrounded by a 400-year-old historic Japanese-style garden, as well as its prestigious collection of post-war Italian art, featuring works by Lucio Fontana, Piero Dorazio and Arnaldo Pomodoro, alongside an art and fashion project in collaboration with Ferragamo. A way to celebrate 160 years of official diplomatic relations between Italia and Japan, which fall this year.