Tokyo Gendai 2023: a global hub for artistic and cultural exchange

Japan has long been known for its rich cultural offerings, and with art fair Tokyo Gendai 2023, it is set to further cement this position in the contemporary art world. The event will showcase international contemporary art from established artists as well as emerging talent and the main Galleries Sector is expected to highlight notable art galleries such as Blum & Poe, Sadie Coles HQ, and Almine Rech, presenting celebrated artists such as Yoshitomo Nara and Tom Wesselmann.

The upcoming art event promises to be groundbreaking in the contemporary art world and while its name has Tokyo in it, it is set to take place at Pacifico Yokohama from July 7 to 9, 2023, a 30-minute train ride from Tokyo. The announcement of the 79 participating art galleries has only increased the excitement for this inaugural edition that will showcase an impressive lineup of galleries from Japan, the wider Asia Pacific region, and around the world. The SMBC Group is the Principal Partner for the event, which is expected to be a major platform for artistic, commercial, and intellectual exchange, as well as a hub of cross-cultural discovery.

The main Galleries Sector will feature galleries from Japan and the world, including Blum & Poe (Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo), presenting celebrated artists such as Yoshitomo Nara, recognised for his stylised portraits of children, and Tomoo Gokita, whose painterly recreations of found imagery accent light and shadow. Sadie Coles HQ (London) will present multidisciplinary British artist Sarah Lucas, whose bold and candid telling of contemporary living through sculpture has been a point of interest since the 1990s, and Kati Heck, whose figurative art branches into literary, folklore, and contemporary narratives.

In addition to the Galleries Sector, Tokyo Gendai will feature three other dedicated sectors—Hana, Eda, and Tane. Hana will highlight presentations by a couple of artists at an early or mid-stage of their careers, while Eda is dedicated to solo or two-artist presentations by established or historically significant figures in Asia, or a thematic exhibition.

Tane, meaning 'seed,' on the other hand, focuses on digital media, including NFTs, animation, film, augmented reality, virtual reality, and gaming. It includes NowHere (New York), which will present exonemo's Metaverse Pet Shop, an installation of kennels populated with virtual pets for sale, and The Hole (New York, Los Angeles), which will showcase a group presentation highlighting some of the artists at the forefront of new digital media, including artists Jonathan Chapline and Ry David Bradley.

Launching in 2023, Tokyo Gendai promises to be a major new platform for commercial, artistic, and intellectual exchange, and a nexus of cross-cultural discovery, accompanied by an extensive VIP program of exhibition and museum openings, studio visits, and cultural experiences. Tokyo Gendai is set to be an exciting event for art enthusiasts from around the world and is expected to create new opportunities for artists and galleries to connect, collaborate, and showcase their work, thereby contributing to the development of the contemporary art world.

Tokyo Gendai 2023 will be on display from July 7 to 9, 2023.