Artists and Editor Offer a Sneak Peek into New Bilingual Book about Japan's Cutting-edge Contemporary Visual Art

For Immediate Release

Tokyo Visualist: Three Views

Tuesday, March 2, 2010, 6:30 pm at Japan Society

Tokyo Visualist

New York, NY -- Marking the forthcoming U.S. release of the genre-encompassing art book Tokyo Visualist, editor Satoru Yamashita explores the works of Japan's foremost creative minds, while two of the book's featured artists, Kohei Nawa and Taisuke Koyama, discuss their works and the creative environment in Tokyo. Moderated by Aneta Glinkowska, editor and co-founder of NY Art Beat, Tokyo Visualist: Three Views takes place Tuesday, March 2 at 6:30 pm and is followed by a book signing and reception.

Fast becoming an essential source of information on the cutting-edge visual art and design practices in Tokyo, as well as the arbiter of critical response on the subject, Tokyo Visualist introduces the vibrant and diverse visual creative culture of contemporary Japan to an international audience. In Tokyo Visualist: Three Views, editor Satoru Yamashita discusses how the works presented in Tokyo Visualist not only delight and surprise the readers, but also gives a sense of the broad spectrum of Japanese talents working in visual creation. Making rare appearances in the U.S., artists and rising stars Kohei Nawa and Taisuke Koyama present an illustrated discussion of their work in a lively exploration about creative culture in Japan today.

The first in a book series featuring the best of creative visual talents—“visualists”—from the worlds of art and design hailing from Tokyo today, Tokyo Visualist showcases both the established leaders among the Japanese creative professionals as well as emerging talents, with the emphasis on the latter. Volume one is a bilingual 272-page tome (released in Japan in October 2009) introducing 32 creators chosen by eight panelists, and includes striking visuals (141 plates and 73 figures) illustrating the creative works. Among the featured artists are Makoto Aida, Jun Aoki, Taisuke Koyama, Kumi Machida, Kohei Nawa, Mika Ninagawa, Yuken Teruya, Miwa Yanagi. The panel for Volume 1 included David Elliott, the founding director of Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, and artistic director of Sydney Biennale 2010; Shigeo Goto, professor at Kyoto University of Art and Design; Miwako Tezuka, curator at Asia Society Museum, New York, among other art and design specialists. Tokyo Visualist is a joint project by Satoru Yamashita, founder, publisher and creative director of +81, a popular bilingual design magazine in Tokyo, and Masako Shinn, an independent design historian and partner of Graphis Publishing in New York City. More info at http://www.tokyovisualist.com

Taisuke Koyama was born in Tokyo in 1978. He published an art book titled Entropix in 2008 and held Entropox solo exhibitions the following year in Tokyo at G/P gallery, NADiff Gallery, and Spiral Garden. Koyama’s art was shown on the Talent Issue featuring new talents of Foam Magazine, a contemporary photography magazine in Holland, and was exhibited in Paris Photo 2009, as a continuation, in 2009. Koyama produces a high quality of organic yet abstract photographic works that capture details of urban phenomena as if living, natural organisms, which change from moment to moment in the flux of metabolic artificial surfaces and contexts.

Kohei Nawa was born in Osaka in 1975. In 2003, Nawa completed his doctorate in fine art sculpture at Kyoto City University’s Graduate School of Arts. As a student he participated in an international exchange program at the Royal College of Art in London. Nawa has earned numerous prizes, including the Kirin Art Award (2003), the Kyoto Prefecture Culture Award (2007), and the Roppongi Crossing 2007 Jury’s Prize for 2007 (awarded in 2008). Nawa energetically involves himself in group and solo exhibitions, as in his Maison Hermès 2009 solo show titled “L_B_S.” Nawa used the internet to collect stuffed, mounted animals and objet d’art, which he then shrouded in glass beads, prism sheets, and other materials. Nawa will be a featured artists in Japan Society's spring 2011 exhibition Bye Bye Kitty!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art.

Satoru Yamashita Born in Tokyo. Studied Western art history in Aoyama Gakuin
University’s College of Literature, Department of History. Yamashita Established DD WAVE in 1990, where he now serves as president. In 1997, DD WAVE launched +81 magazine, at which Yamashita has been active as publisher and creative director. In 2001 +81 was awarded the NY ADC Merit Prize. Twelve years have passed since the magazine’s launch as a global, creative publication, which is now circulated　in about twenty foreign countries.

Born in Poland, Aneta Glinkowska studied Liberal Arts at Baruch College and Cinema Studies at the Graduate Center of CUNY. During frequent trips to Tokyo, she became involved with Tokyo Art Beat, a bilingual online art guide for which she made video interviews with artists and wrote exhibition reviews, while also contributing articles to the Japan Times. In 2008 she returned to New York to co-found NY Art Beat with Kosuke Fujitaka. She oversees all aspects of the website, including its editorial section NYABlog, as well as the popular twitter channel @NYArtBeat. Glinkowska continues to make freelance video documentaries and interviews and consultants artists on improving their online presence.

Established in 1907, Japan Society has evolved into North America's major producer of high-quality content on Japan for an English-speaking audience. Presenting over 100 events annually through well established Corporate, Education, Film, Gallery, Language, Lectures, Performing Arts and Innovators Network programs, the Society is an internationally recognized nonprofit, nonpolitical organization that provides access to information on Japan, offers opportunities to experience Japanese culture, and fosters sustained and open dialogue on issues important to the U.S., Japan, and East Asia.

Tokyo Visualist: Three Views takes place Tuesday, March 2 at 6:30. Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street between First and Second avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 at 42nd Street-Grand Central Station or the E and V at Lexington Avenue and 53rd St.) Tickets are $11/$7 Japan Society members, seniors & students. For reservations visit www.japansociety.org or call the box office at 212-715-1258. For further information call 212-832-1155 or visit the website.

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Shannon Jowett
Japan Society
T: 212-715-1205
F: 212-715-1262
E: sjowett@japansociety.org

Kuniko Shiobara
Japan Society
T: 212-715-1249
F: 212-715-1262
E: kshiobara@japansociety.org