Art Week Tokyo Tries to Get Wider Art World on Board
Supported by Art Basel and Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, the burgeoning art week is part of a broader outreach to international dealers and collectors.
An Art Week Tokyo Bus in 2023. Courtesy Art Week Tokyo.
From early morning to evening over four days, shuttle buses adorned with AWT logos traversed the sprawling metropolis of Tokyo, connecting cultural complexes in Roppongi to the small lanes behind Harajuku's vibrant Takeshita street and the tranquil residential area of Kinshicho.
The scattered layout of Tokyo's galleries and cultural institutions has made these buses a necessity since the event began in 2021, according to Atsuko Ninagawa, Founder of Take Ninagawa Gallery and co-founder of Art Week Tokyo.
For both organisers and participating galleries, the crisscrossing shuttle buses can be a symbol of stimulating the city's art scene and boosting sales in the local market. Having witnessed the success of Hong Kong and Seoul, Tokyo is eager to join the ranks of thriving art markets in the region.
Taking place from 2 to 5 November, immediately after Art Collaboration Kyoto, the third edition of Art Week Tokyo carried out the most ambitious programme to date. Beyond exhibitions at more than 50 museums, galleries, and art spaces, the event also included symposiums, a screening project near Tokyo Station, and a uniquely designed bar in the upscale neighbourhood of Minami-Aoyama, fostering community exchanges, among others.
On the preview day, the showrooms, some with a compact space, were teeming with curators, collectors, and art professionals from around the globe.
But can this momentum be sustained? Compared to other art hubs in the region, Tokyo lags behind in the number of blue-chip galleries, with a few exceptions like Perrotin and Blum. (Pace will open its inaugural space in Tokyo at the Azubandai Hills development alongside the new teamLab Borderless next year.)
While neighbouring South Korea exempts art purchases from Value Added Tax (VAT), Japan's policies have been less enticing, with foreign dealers required to pay a 10% goods and services tax on artworks imported into the country.
Lately, the Japanese government has demonstrated increased support for contemporary art events, however, with Tokyo Gendai, which launched in Yokohama in July, and this year's edition of Art Collaboration Kyoto both securing exemptions from the 10% tax to show the work.
Ninagawa also points out that the Agency for Cultural Affairs provided backing for Art Week Tokyo, which to her is a clear vote of confidence in Art Week Tokyo's future development.
'I believe Art Week Tokyo is only scratching the surface of its potential to become a transformative art event for the city and beyond,' she said.
On the other hand, the strict regulations have inadvertently created opportunities for local galleries to flourish. Many of them have garnered international recognition over the years, including Taka Ishii, Taro Nasu, Take Ninagawa, and Tokyo Gallery + BTAP.
In this context, Art Week Tokyo seeks to invigorate the long-overlooked market for Japanese post-war and contemporary art.
This drive is encapsulated in the title of its newly launched sales platform, AWT Focus. Titled Worlds in Balance: Art in Japan from the Postwar to the Present, the specially curated exhibition at the Okura Museum 'aims to boost the visibility of Japanese artists beyond the likes of Yayoi Kusama, Yoshitomo Nara, and On Kawara', according to Kenjiro Hosaka, the sector's curator.
In response to this focus, many galleries have chosen to showcase influential Japanese artists for this season. Notable presentations include Masato Kobayashi's unstretched, vibrant canvases at ShugoArts, as well as the ochreous, gestural landscapes painted by Nobuya Hitsuda, who formerly taught artists like Yoshitomo Nara, Kyoko Murase, and Hiroshi Sugito—names that have since become internationally renowned.
Another highlight is Yasuhiro Ishimoto at Tokyo Gallery + BTAP, featuring the pioneering photographer's Bauhaus-styled early experiments alongside cityscapes of Chicago and Tokyo, as well as his pictorial rediscovery of the ancient Katsura Palace.
Galleries reported robust sales in general, and a good number of red stickers could be seen on the price lists placed on their front desks.
Showcasing a series of wall assemblages by Akira Fujimoto that incorporate coastal garbage, Kana Kawanishi gallery declared their exhibition a great success as works were sold to both local and international clients. 'Large and essential pieces went to enterprises that lead the circular economy, which we were happy about as having those pieces in their factories will have a symbolic meaning,' explained Kana Kawanishi, founder of the gallery.
Ninagawa was excited to receive positive feedback from participating galleries.
'Works sold at all price points and it was especially impressive to see local collectors driving the sales,' she said. 'This is our inaugural edition of AWT Focus and the result is beyond our expectation and the sales have surpassed our target.' —[O]
