Tokyo Gendai Opens Third Edition, Debuting New September Dates

 

Tokyo Gendai Opens Third Edition, Debuting New September Dates

Tokyo Gendai opens its third edition with a VIP Preview and Vernissage today at PACIFICO Yokohama, and runs 12 – 14 September 2025 With its new September dates, Tokyo Gendai ushers in the traditional cultural season in Japan, marking a new chapter Tokyo Gendai’s dynamic program within and beyond the fairground platforms the best of Japan’s contemporary art and culture

Tokyo Gendai, Japan’s leading international art fair, opens its doors today for the VIP Preview and Vernissage at PACIFICO Yokohama. Open to the public from 12 – 14 September, Tokyo Gendai brings together leading exhibitors from Japan and across the world, and offers an expansive program of special presentations, installations, performances, and activations for visitors to explore. For this first autumn edition, Tokyo Gendai launches several dynamic new initiatives, from the inaugural curatorial symposium to the debut of the Hana Artist Award and new partnerships across Japan and the wider region. This landmark third edition of the fair expands Tokyo Gendai’s offering and reinforces its role as an unmissable moment in the international art fair calendar.  Eri Takane, Fair Director says 'We are delighted to unveil today the third edition of Tokyo Gendai, which brings together an inspiring array of established and emerging artists and galleries, showcasing exceptional contemporary art that drives meaningful dialogue and inquiry. We warmly welcome our exhibitors, visitors, patrons, and partners back to PACIFICO Yokohama, and invite them to explore the exciting range of programs and special activations, within the fairground and across Tokyo, which truly bring this vibrant scene to life.’   Magnus Renfrew, Co-founder, Tokyo Gendai says 'Since its launch in 2023, Tokyo Gendai has platformed the incredible creative potential of Japan’s contemporary art scene, opening the door to a diverse international audience. The real sense of community fostered by Tokyo Gendai and built over its previous editions is demonstrated throughout the week of the fair, which convenes galleries, institutions, curators, artists, and patrons - all marking this major moment with a myriad of special activations and celebrations.’  For its third edition, Tokyo Gendai presents a wide-ranging and dynamic showcase of contemporary art from 66 globally recognised galleries, across three sectors. The Galleries sector welcomes presentations reflective of the galleries’ year-round programming, while Hana ‘Flower’ features presentations of emerging or mid-career artists, and Eda ‘Branch’ features presentations of established and historically significant figures, with a special focus on Asia. Across the fairground, gallery presentations showcase an array of curatorial approaches and artistic visions.

PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS New to the program for 2025, Tokyo Gendai’s curatorial symposium debuts today, introducing a dedicated space to explore contemporary curatorial practices and concepts. Across a series of in-depth conversations, the symposium brings together a range of perspectives from across Japan and internationally, offering curators the opportunity to foster new connections and discuss relevant themes. The symposium is held at the Shiseido Global Innovation Center, and is in collaboration with by The 5th Floor, an alternative space in East Tokyo dedicated to supporting the emergence of the next generation of artists and curators. The third edition of Tokyo Gendai also marks the launch of the Hana Artist Award, established with a mission to foster emerging artists. The Award is given to an outstanding artist participating in the Hana ‘Flower’ sector of the fair, with the support of ArtSticker; it consists of a cash prize of USD 10,000 and special recognition at the fair. Selected by Mark Rappolt, Editor-in-Chief of ArtReview, Miwako Tezuka, Director of the soon-to-open Dib Bangkok, Kenjiro Hosaka Director of the the Shiga Museum of Art, the winner will be announced at a special ceremony at 19:30 on Thursday 11 September 2025. An annual highlight at Tokyo Gendai, this year’s Tsubomi ‘Flower Bud’ showcase highlights the work of a selection of Japanese women artists exploring traditional craft techniques, and the increasing influence of artisanal practices in the contemporary art scene. Working with a range of materials and approaches, these artists consider the methods and processes of making and working with material objects. Artworks in ceramic by Namika Nakai (TARO NASU) are on view, glass work by Ritsue Mishima (ShugoArts) and lacquer sculptures by Chie Aoki (Sokyo Gallery). In the Sato ‘Meadow’ program, a curated selection of installations and performances activate the fair space. Highlights of Sato ‘Meadow’ include The Steel Bar and the Pictorial Memory of the Gesture by celebrated French conceptual artist Bernar Venet (Ceysson & Bénétière), a dual presentation of works by Takuro Kuwata and Dan McCarthy (KOSAKU KANECHIKA), offering a dialogue between the two artists working in ceramics, and Otani Workshop’s (Kaikai Kiki Gallery) bronze sculptures, including Sleeping Child Tower. Wood sculptures by Rieko Otake (Tomio Koyama Gallery) evoke childhood memories and distant, dreamlike worlds, while Yuko Murata’s (GALLERY SIDE 2) birch garden installation, combines paintings with works in ceramic, to create a garden landscape. Elsewhere, Carl Krull’s (Formation Gallery) new live drawing performance, Vertex, takes place once each day of the fair, resulting in four large-scale ink drawings, and Douglas Watt’s (Unit 17) new large-scale installation Pit recreates a foam pit for softening falls during diving and gymnastics practice using tarp, paper and tape. The Ne ‘Root’ program presents leading Japanese foundations hosting special showcases of their work, including The Obayashi Foundation, Fukutake Foundation, Odawara Art Foundation and CADAN: Contemporary Art Dealers Association Nippon.

Art Talks, Tokyo Gendai’s annual talks program, begins tomorrow, 12 September, gathering thought leaders from across the industry to discuss the topics shaping today’s art world, from the intersection of photography and contemporary art to dialogues between art and nature, to trends in collecting and Asia’s growing art market. Across panel format conversations, the industry’s thought leaders share their insights and expertise with the fair’s visitors. This year’s Art Talks is supported by COZUCHI.  The 2025 edition of Tokyo Gendai marks the first year of its new partnership with Art Busan. This collaborative project, titled CONNECT, is themed ‘Crossroads of Contemporary Art’ and is composed of two sections; a main program presented at Tokyo Gendai, where 9 Korean galleries and 2 Chinese galleries participate, and a satellite program showcased at the TERRADA ART COMPLEX, Tokyo. The project incorporates a breadth of cultural activations including joint talks programs with Asian art fair directors, engaging audiences across Korean and Japanese platforms. Supported by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Arts Management Service, the partnership aims to foster a sustainable market and cultivate cultural exchanges throughout East Asia. VIP PROGRAM AND SATELLITE EVENTS Throughout this week, an extensive program of special events, exhibitions and activations take place in galleries and institutions across Japan. The National Art Center, Tokyo presents Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989-2010, exploring art that emerged in Japan and its influences on the international stage, tracing its history and trajectories, and Mori Art Museum presents The Architecture of Sou Fujimoto: Primordial Future Forest, celebrating the career of the internationally acclaimed architect. Buzzing celebrations and reception evenings bring Tokyo’s galleries to life. One of the largest gallery complexes in Japan, the TERRADA ART COMPLEX in Tennozu, Tokyo, hosts an evening reception on Wednesday September 10, while leading galleries in the recently opened Toda Building, including Taka Ishii Gallery, KOSAKU KANECHIKA, Tomio Koyama Gallery and more, host a celebration on Friday September 12, with a reception following at Gallery & Bakery Tokyo 8min.  Over the course of the fair week, an extensive VIP program offered a range of art experiences across Japan. The program featured visits to museums in the Setouchi region, including the Benesse Art Sites on Naoshima and Teshima and Okayama’s newly opened the Rabbit Hole, as well as a tour of Kyoto and Nasushiobara, where visitors took tours of N’s YARD, which houses works by Yoshitomo Nara alongside modern artists, and the Kishio Suga Souko Museum. On Monday, 15 September, VIP visitors will take a trip to Nagoya to visit the Aichi Triennale.  For the first time this year, Tokyo Gendai additionally coincides with the Aichi Triennale 2025, one of Japan’s premier art festivals, which transcends genre boundaries in the performing arts, learning programs, and other fields, conveying the spirit of artistic diversity from the Aichi region. These shared opening dates offer the fair’s visitors and VIPs the opportunity to engage with the Aichi region’s dynamic cultural scene as part of their travel to Japan with priority access to the festival venues, and likewise the ideal occasion for Triennale visitors to connect with the fair’s exhibitors and programming