Arts

The Tokyo Art & Antiques Festival opens on April 23 across the Nihonbashi and Kyobashi districts, reinforcing its position as Japan’s largest event dedicated to antiques and classical art in contemporary interiors. The festival brings together galleries, dealers, and specialists in traditional Japanese and Asian art, alongside curated exhibitions that highlight the growing dialogue between historical craftsmanship and modern design sensibilities. This year’s edition places particular emphasis on the revaluation of classical pieces within today’s residential and commercial spaces, reflecting a broader trend in Japan’s interior design market where heritage objects are increasingly integrated into minimalist, contemporary environments. Beyond its…

The inauguration of a major retrospective dedicated to artist Nobuya Hitsuda at the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art marks a significant moment in the Japanese contemporary art calendar. The exhibition brings together a wide selection of works spanning several decades of the artist’s career. The show traces Hitsuda’s evolving visual language, characterised by a subtle balance between material experimentation and conceptual rigor. His practice, often rooted in abstraction, reflects broader shifts in post-war and contemporary Japanese artistic discourse. Curated as a comprehensive retrospective, the exhibition highlights key phases of his production, including early works that explore form and texture, as…

ノルウェー大使館 Norwegian Embassy in Tokyo Facebook A duo exhibition featuring Norwegian artists Ingjerd Hanevold and Sidsel Hanum will open in Tokyo this week, offering a refined exploration of nature through contemporary craft across two venues in the city. Titled “Tidewaters,” the exhibition runs from April 18 to April 30 and unfolds simultaneously at HALL IN THE WALL in Shibuya and het Labo atrium in Takadanobaba. The project brings together jewelry and ceramic works that reflect a shared sensitivity to natural forms and materials, from metal to clay. Hanevold, a prominent jewelry artist and professor affiliated with leading Scandinavian art institutions,…

Photo by Foteini ChristofilopouloThe National Ballet of Japan has been nominated for the Stef Stefanou Award for Outstanding Company at the 26th National Dance Awards, one of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious distinctions in the field of dance. The nomination places the Tokyo-based company among the leading international ensembles recognised by the Critics’ Circle for performances staged in the UK during 2025. The recognition follows the company’s appearance at London’s Royal Opera House in July 2025, where it presented a critically acclaimed production of Giselle. The performances received widespread international praise, including five-star reviews, and were later listed among the…

Tokyo will honour one of Japan’s most celebrated creative figures this spring with a centennial retrospective dedicated to legendary designer Hanae Mori, commemorating what would have been the 100th anniversary of her birth. The exhibition will pay tribute to the woman widely regarded as Japan’s first global fashion icon and a pioneer who helped bring Japanese elegance to the international luxury stage. Known affectionately as “Madame Butterfly” for her signature butterfly motifs, Mori rose to prominence in the post-war decades and became the first Japanese woman admitted to the official haute couture calendar in Paris. Her designs, worn by royalty,…

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has further cemented his position as one of the country’s most influential cultural figures after being selected to design the new wing of London’s National Gallery, one of the world’s most prestigious art institutions. The appointment marks another major international commission for the architect, whose work has become synonymous with contemporary Japanese design on the global stage. Best known internationally for designing Tokyo’s National Stadium for the 2020 Olympic Games, Kuma has built a reputation around his distinctive architectural philosophy, blending natural materials, light and open space to create structures that emphasise harmony with their surroundings.…