Heritage and Metamorphosis: The Future of Galleries

Speakers: Koyama Tomio, Yamauchi Tokutaro, and others　｜　Moderator: Nago Maya

Galleries are spaces that showcase artworks and connect them with audiences, while also serving as cultural platforms that nurture aesthetic sensibilities and ideas in collaboration with artists. As the role of galleries and the art market undergoes major global transformation, this talk will consider the meaning of “heritage” by examining examples of business succession in response to changing times, bringing together gallerists from different generations and positions within the field. In an ever-changing society, what should be preserved, and what should be transformed? Or rather, who should be responsible for preservation, and who should inherit art’s legacy? From the perspective of galleries, we will explore possible visions for the future of Japanese culture.

Speakers:
Koyama Tomio (Director & Founder, Tomio Koyama Gallery)
Yamauchi Tokutaro (Managing Director, Gallery Shibunkaku)
and others

Moderator:
Nago Maya (Editor-in-Chief, ARTnews JAPAN)

Speaker’s Profiles
　

Koyama Tomio

Born in Tokyo in 1963, Tomio Koyama graduated from the Department of Art History at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1987. He founded Tomio Koyama Gallery in 1996, where he has presented exhibitions by both Japanese and international artists. An active participant in international art fairs, Koyama has played a significant role in introducing Japanese artists to audiences around the world, while also working to foster and expand the domestic art market in Japan. Today, Tomio Koyama Gallery operates spaces in Roppongi, Kyobashi, and Tennoz in Tokyo, as well as in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture.

Nago Maya

Born in 1978, she worked at publications including the Japanese editions of Esquire and WIRED before becoming Features & Culture Lead at VOGUE JAPAN. In 2020, while in the role, she launched VOGUE CHANGE, a project addressing a wide range of social issues. In October 2022, she was appointed Editor-in-Chief of ARTnews JAPAN, the Japanese edition of ARTnews, the U.S. art publication founded in 1902.

Website: https://artnewsjapan.com/