Spacetime in Kyoto: When Contemporary Art Becomes History

Speakers: Inoko Toshiyuki, Matsui Koji, and Nishiwaki Takatoshi　｜　Moderator: Yamashita Yukako

Throughout its long history, Kyoto has actively embraced both domestic and international cultures and new technologies, developing them in diverse ways to cultivate a unique culture of its own.
In this talk, we welcome Inoko Toshiyuki, founder of the internationally active art collective teamLab, to discuss overseas projects and consider the cultural and regional characteristics of Kyoto and Japan, which continue to profoundly influence many artists. Joining the talk will be Governor of Kyoto Prefecture Nishiwaki Takatoshi and Mayor of Kyoto Matsui Koji in a discussion about the process by which new cultural and artistic elements introduced from outside the region are accepted and integrated into the local context.
Set in Kyoto, a city preserving ancient traditions while seeking further development and new directions in respective fields, this session will examine the mechanisms and processes through which new culture and technologies take root locally and socially, eventually becoming part of history.

Speakers:
Inoko Toshiyuki (Founder, teamLab)
Matsui Koji (Mayor, Kyoto City)
Nishiwaki Takatoshi (Governer, Kyoto Prefecture)
*Alphabetical order

Moderator: Yamashita Yukako (Fair Director, Art Collaboration Kyoto)

Speaker’s Profiles
　

Inoko Toshiyuki

Born in 1977 in Tokushima, Japan.
Founded teamLab in 2001 at the same time that he graduated from University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mathematical Engineering and Information Physics, where he studied probability and statistical modeling. In graduate school, he studied natural language processing and art.

teamLab (f. 2001) is an international art collective. Their collaborative practice seeks to navigate the confluence of art, science, technology, and the natural world. Through art, the interdisciplinary group of specialists, including artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians, and architects, aims to explore the relationship between the self and the world, and new forms of perception.

Website: https://www.teamlab.art/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@teamLabmovie/

Matsui Koji

Koji Matsui (born in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City in 1960) graduated from Rakusei Junior and Senior High School and the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo. He joined the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 1983, where he was seconded to the Prime Minister’s Office and played a central role in administrative and financial reform. He was first elected to the House of Councillors in 2001 and also served as Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary. After retiring from politics in 2013, he taught at Keio University for 10 years, devoting himself to nurturing young people who will lead the next generation. He is Mayor of Kyoto city from February 2024.

Website: https://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/

Nishiwaki Takatoshi

Takatoshi Nishiwaki (born in Kyoto, Japan in1955) graduated from University of Tokyo and joined the Ministry of Construction in 1979. After working as Deputy Director-General of the Road Bureau, Director-General of the Policy Bureau, Chief Cabinet Secretary, and a Vice-Minister for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport before becoming the Vice-Minister of the Reconstruction Agency in 2016. In April 2018, he was elected Governor of Kyoto Prefecture. In April 2022 he was re-elected, and began his second term. He also holds many official positions including Deputy Chairman of the Union of Kansai Governments, and Deputy Director of the National Governors’ Association.

Website: https://www.pref.kyoto.jp/chiji/profile.html

Yamashita Yukako

Yukako Yamashita is the Fair Director of Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK), a role she has held since the second edition of ACK in 2022. Prior to joining ACK, Yamashita managed her own gallery THE CLUB in Tokyo from 2017 to 2022. Yamashita also has experience at Sotheby’s Japan, where she oversaw the sales of contemporary art, and has an MA in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. Born in Tokyo in 1988 to a family that runs a tea ceremony utensils gallery business in Kyoto, Yamashita has been serving as the Kyoto City Growth Strategy Promotion Advisor since 2022.

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Live Stream URL
https://www.youtube.com/@artcollaborationkyoto4277