New Art Fair Tokyo Committee and 2011 edition dates

New Organizational Structure of the Art Fair Tokyo Committee

Since the appointment of Takahiro Kaneshima as Executive Director of ART FAIR TOKYO on June 1, 2010, the ART FAIR TOKYO Committee has been going through a process of restructuring with renewed focus being given to Tokyo’s role as a city within Asia.

The PROJECTS Artistic Committee, which consists of four collectors and arts professionals from Japan and other countries in East Asia, was established in order to strengthen the fair’s foundation in its region. The creation of this committee represents the first attempt to make a fair in Asia that really represents Asia as a whole. The expectation is that it will enhance the fair’s appeal to the global market significantly.

Meanwhile, at the conclusion of ART FAIR TOKYO 2010, Atsuko Koyanagi (GALLERY KOYANAGI) and Shugo Satani (ShugoArts) stepped down as members of the fair’s Art Committee, in which they had served tirelessly since the fair’s first 2005 edition. Their positions as gallerists in the committee have been filled by Tomoko Aratani and Mutsumi Urano (both from ARATANIURANO).  

Misa Shin, the  former Executive Director, now serves as an Advisor to ART FAIR TOKYO, while Masami Shiraishi (SCAI THE BATHHOUSE), the former Advisor becomes Honorary Advisor.  

The ART FAIR TOKYO Committee is the organization that hosts ART FAIR TOKYO. It consists of two sections: The “Art Committee” guides the fair and maintains its quality, while the  “Executive Office” conducts practical works led by the Executive Director.

You can read a short biography of the new Executive director here.

ART FAIR TOKYO 2011
Dates：  Friday, April 1 - Sunday, April 3, 2011  *Preview: Thursday, March 31, 2011
Venue：  Tokyo International Forum  Exhibition Hall & Lobby Gallery

Art Fair Tokyo New Executive Director Takahiro Kaneshima

Announcement of Change in Executive Director at ART FAIR TOKYO

The ART FAIR TOKYO Committee Executive announces that Misa Shin, Executive Director of ART FAIR TOKYO since 2005, will be stepping down at the end of May 2010.

Mina Shin has directed a total of four editions of ART FAIR TOKYO, since her appointment as Executive Director in November 2005. During this time, her aims have been to encourage the development of an art market in Japan and to create a truly international art fair in Tokyo. Under each year of Shin’s direction, ART FAIR TOKYO has attracted a wide variety of international and domestic art collectors and art enthusiasts. The fifth edition, held in 2010, attracted a record 50,000 visitors. “This proved that the spring-time ART FAIR TOKYO has firmly established itself on the international art scene”. Shin succeeded in developing the Japanese art world by nurturing a new generation of potential collectors through her message that art should be thought of as something to buy, and not just as something to look at.   

In the future, Shin will serve as an Advisor to ART FAIR TOKYO.

The ART FAIR TOKYO Committee Executive announces that Takahiro Kaneshima will be appointed as the new Executive Director of ART FAIR TOKYO as of June 1, 2010. For the last five years, Kaneshima has been active in the East Asian art scene, particularly in the field of support-activities for artists and the management and coordination of many art projects.

"I am very excited to have the chance, as Executive Director of ART FAIR TOKYO, to sincerely and dynamically work towards demonstrating the wonders of Tokyo’s art scene to the world," Kaneshima said. "We need to consider the specific role of Tokyo in Asia and how ART FAIR TOKYO should function in the global art scene. I believe that ART FAIR TOKYO can be more appealing to the world by reflecting Japan's unique characteristics and its potential, so I greatly look forward to further developing and refining the quality of the fair."

“Working on the foundations built by Shin, ART FAIR TOKYO will continue to grow, taking advantage of Kaneshima’s network and his proven skills of organizing fascinating projects in the East Asian region.” (Press release)

Takahiro Kaneshima’s Short Biography

Executive Director of ART FAIR TOKYO since June 1, 2010, Director of FEC (Far East Contemporaries), Takahiro Kaneshima has managed research projects related to contemporary art in East Asia, activities for supporting artists, and interexchange activities. After graduating with an M.A. in Media and Governance from the Graduate School of Keio University, he worked for NOKIA and Toshiba Corporation. Since 2005, he has been involved in a variety of contemporary art businesses in Beijing. Kaneshima has worked for TOKYO GALLERY + BTAP in Beijing, and served as the East Asia producer for "ART iT." Takahiro Kaneshima was born in 1977 in Tokyo.

Next Post about the New Organizational Structure of the Art Fair Tokyo Committee

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The First Art Fair Tokyo 2005 Explained

Art Fair Tokyo 2005

Japan’s largest gallery show, Art Fair Tokyo, opens in August 2005 at the Tokyo International Forum. With more than 80 national and international primary galleries, the fair will be a showcase of 1500 selected art works, ranging from antiques, traditional Japanese paintings, modern art, to contemporary art.

Concept of Art Fair Tokyo

Art fair is a trade fair which consists mainly of renowned galleries dealing with primary artworks. Every year, the likes of Art Basel or the Armory Show, effectively activate as hubs in the contemporary cultural and economic market, receiving a lot of attention from all over the world. Art Fair Tokyo is initiated as a cultural and economic representative from Japan.

Art Fair is not an exhibition as seen in the art museums

One of the interesting and important aspects regarding Art Fair Tokyo is that people can buy the exhibits. Purchasing artworks is much to do with loving art, bringing it into one's life as well as enjoying the whole process such as talking with gallerists and researching. Tokyo Art Fair provides useful information for art collecting and organizes a series of small seminars in which people can learn how to start collecting artworks. A friendly seminar series entitled "Let's go buy Art" will give people some clues.

Invitation to a lifestyle with art

In the 21st century, art is an essential part of our lifestyle. Art Fair Tokyo which exhibits only carefully selected and high quality art works, encompassing contemporary art, modern art and antiques, aims to be a perfect event for everyone who is interested in culture. On this occasion, we would like to collaborate with you to promote a new way of life with art.

The Art Fair Tokyo Committee