The National Art Center, Tokyo
Sep. 3–Dec. 8 Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989-2010
2025.07.10
The National Art Center, Tokyo is pleased to announce "Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989-2010"
Overview
Prism of the Real examines the practices of more than 50 artists from Japan and abroad. It explores both the art that emerged in Japan and how Japanese culture inspired the world between 1989, when the Shōwa era (1926–1989) ended and the Heisei era (1989–2019) began, and 2010.
These two decades saw the end of the Cold War and the advent of contemporary globalization, enabling the freer movement of people, goods, and information, and greatly encouraging international dialogue and engagement. Throughout this period, artists in Japan and elsewhere pursued new approaches, acting as prisms that refracted the social and cultural currents of the time into works that pose diverse questions. Co-curated by The National Art Center, Tokyo and M+, Hong Kong, this exhibition reflects on this critical transitional period through the lens of art. It presents a multifaceted view in which multiple histories and contexts coexist, while looking at Japan as a platform for artistic creation from both national and international perspectives.
The exhibition begins with a prologue that explores the early stirrings of internationalization in the 1980s. It is followed by a critical turn, beginning in 1989, marked by a surge of artistic activity during a period of dynamic socio-political transformation in Japan. The examination of this era is conducted from three thematic perspectives. The first, The Past Is a Phantom, explores how artists continued to engage with the subject of war and its impact on the social, cultural, and individual psyches. The second, Self and Others, focuses on artistic practices that interrogate issues of identity, gender, and traditional hierarchy, showing how Japanese culture can facilitate interpersonal exchanges. The third, A Promise of Community, features projects that explore fresh possibilities of relation through interactions with existing communities or the creation of new ones.
Featured Artists *Alphabetical by last name
AIDA Makoto, Matthew BARNEY, CAI Guo-Qiang, François CURLET, Dumb Type, FUKUDA Miran, Dominique GONZALEZ-FOERSTER, David HAMMONS, Pierre HUYGHE, ISHIUCHI Miyako, Joan JONAS, KASAHARA Emiko, KAWAMATA Tadashi, KAZAMA Sachiko, KOIZUMI Meiro, LEE Bul, Sharon LOCKHART, MIYAJIMA Tatsuo, MORI Mariko, MORIMURA Yasumasa, MURAKAMI Takashi, NAGASHIMA Yurie, NAKAHARA Kodai, NAKAMURA Masato, NARA Yoshitomo, NISHIYAMA Minako, OHTAKE Shinro, Oscar OIWA, OZAWA Tsuyoshi, Philippe PARRENO, Navin RAWANCHAIKUL, SHIGA Lieko, SHIMABUKU, SHITAMICHI Motoyuki, SONE Yutaka, Simon STARLING, Hito STEYERL, TABAIMO, TAKAMINE Tadasu, Fiona TAN, TERUYA Yuken, Rirkrit TIRAVANIJA, TSUBAKI Noboru, Franz WEST, Xijing Men, YAMASHIRO Chikako, YANAGI Miwa, YANAGI Yukinori, YANOBE Kenji, YONEDA Tomoko, etc. and archival materials.
AIDA Makoto, Matthew BARNEY, CAI Guo-Qiang, François CURLET, Dumb Type, FUKUDA Miran, Dominique GONZALEZ-FOERSTER, David HAMMONS, Pierre HUYGHE, ISHIUCHI Miyako, Joan JONAS, KASAHARA Emiko, KAWAMATA Tadashi, KAZAMA Sachiko, KOIZUMI Meiro, LEE Bul, Sharon LOCKHART, MIYAJIMA Tatsuo, MORI Mariko, MORIMURA Yasumasa, MURAKAMI Takashi, NAGASHIMA Yurie, NAKAHARA Kodai, NAKAMURA Masato, NARA Yoshitomo, NISHIYAMA Minako, OHTAKE Shinro, Oscar OIWA, OZAWA Tsuyoshi, Philippe PARRENO, Navin RAWANCHAIKUL, SHIGA Lieko, SHIMABUKU, SHITAMICHI Motoyuki, SONE Yutaka, Simon STARLING, Hito STEYERL, TABAIMO, TAKAMINE Tadasu, Fiona TAN, TERUYA Yuken, Rirkrit TIRAVANIJA, TSUBAKI Noboru, Franz WEST, Xijing Men, YAMASHIRO Chikako, YANAGI Miwa, YANAGI Yukinori, YANOBE Kenji, YONEDA Tomoko, etc. and archival materials.
Highlights
Sources of Expression: Intersections of Art and the World
The exhibition focuses on a two-decade period of rapid globalization that changed social structures and inspired new forms of expression. Focusing on Japan, which was relatively quick to establish political and economic stability amid these evolutions, the exhibition examines artistic practices that emerged from freer movement of people, goods, and information. These were accompanied by a wave of museum openings, the rise of alternative spaces, and the flourishing of artist-in-residence programs and art festivals.
Sources of Expression: Intersections of Art and the World
The exhibition focuses on a two-decade period of rapid globalization that changed social structures and inspired new forms of expression. Focusing on Japan, which was relatively quick to establish political and economic stability amid these evolutions, the exhibition examines artistic practices that emerged from freer movement of people, goods, and information. These were accompanied by a wave of museum openings, the rise of alternative spaces, and the flourishing of artist-in-residence programs and art festivals.
Art Opened to Social Change: How Artists Responded
At the dawn of the Heisei era (1989–2019), Japan, like the rest of the post-Cold War world, was undergoing dramatic transformation. This exhibition highlights experimental modes of expression that emerged and invigorated the Japanese art scene. It showcases the practices of more than 50 artists and collectives from Japan and abroad, including works that address the postwar era from a Japanese vantage point, question identity through relationships with others, and explore new ways of forming connections within communities.
At the dawn of the Heisei era (1989–2019), Japan, like the rest of the post-Cold War world, was undergoing dramatic transformation. This exhibition highlights experimental modes of expression that emerged and invigorated the Japanese art scene. It showcases the practices of more than 50 artists and collectives from Japan and abroad, including works that address the postwar era from a Japanese vantage point, question identity through relationships with others, and explore new ways of forming connections within communities.
Multiple Perspectives on the Era: Viewing Through Curatorial Lenses
Prism of the Real has three thematic sections, or ‘curatorial lenses’, following a prologue and an introduction. The exhibition explores themes such as confronting and reinterpreting memories of war, reexamining gender and hierarchy in Japanese culture, and exploring the value of community and the possibilities of human connections. The exhibition offers not a single, linear narrative, but a multifaceted view of art in which multiple perspectives intersect. It presents a multinational critical framework, showing that art made in Japan in the 1990s and 2000s continues a longstanding tradition of exchange, and that Japan has always been a diverse and open platform for artistic exploration.
Prism of the Real has three thematic sections, or ‘curatorial lenses’, following a prologue and an introduction. The exhibition explores themes such as confronting and reinterpreting memories of war, reexamining gender and hierarchy in Japanese culture, and exploring the value of community and the possibilities of human connections. The exhibition offers not a single, linear narrative, but a multifaceted view of art in which multiple perspectives intersect. It presents a multinational critical framework, showing that art made in Japan in the 1990s and 2000s continues a longstanding tradition of exchange, and that Japan has always been a diverse and open platform for artistic exploration.
Beginning with a prologue and introduction on the 1980s, the two decades between
1989 and 2010 are explored through three sections, or ‘curatorial lenses’.
1989 and 2010 are explored through three sections, or ‘curatorial lenses’.
Prologue
The exhibition starts with an overview of the internationalization of Japan during the 1980s which was facilitated by established economic stability, focusing on artists’ activities and the systems that supported them.
Introduction: A Critical Turn
1989 marked a turning point, with the emergence of innovative and dynamic forms of expression and new critical perspectives. Artists employed everyday materials and drew on popular culture, to incorporate and reflect their own lived realities as well as social conditions in works with powerful visual impact.
1989 marked a turning point, with the emergence of innovative and dynamic forms of expression and new critical perspectives. Artists employed everyday materials and drew on popular culture, to incorporate and reflect their own lived realities as well as social conditions in works with powerful visual impact.
Curatorial Lens 1: The Past Is a Phantom
This section engages with history, exploring recurring subjects such as war, nuclear weapons, and colonialism. Artists are able to process, rethink and question histories, offering alternative readings to the conventional single narrative, and their works gain new meaning when viewed from a contemporary context that was inexorably shaped by these sweeping changes.
This section engages with history, exploring recurring subjects such as war, nuclear weapons, and colonialism. Artists are able to process, rethink and question histories, offering alternative readings to the conventional single narrative, and their works gain new meaning when viewed from a contemporary context that was inexorably shaped by these sweeping changes.
Curatorial Lens 2: Self and Others
The distinct and at times contradictory Japanese culture, both traditional and modern, is a fertile and inspiring subject for artists from Japan as well as overseas. This section presents works that explore themes ranging from gender and nationality to reinterpretation of Japanese culture. Through gazes exchanged between self and others, these works question identity from a wide variety of perspectives.
The distinct and at times contradictory Japanese culture, both traditional and modern, is a fertile and inspiring subject for artists from Japan as well as overseas. This section presents works that explore themes ranging from gender and nationality to reinterpretation of Japanese culture. Through gazes exchanged between self and others, these works question identity from a wide variety of perspectives.
Curatorial Lens 3: A Promise of Community
This section focuses on projects that engage with local communities and existing social structures to build new relationships. Through collaboration with regional communities, artists seek new possible forms of connecting, and explore how human relationships can be liberating and breaking down hierarchy.
This section focuses on projects that engage with local communities and existing social structures to build new relationships. Through collaboration with regional communities, artists seek new possible forms of connecting, and explore how human relationships can be liberating and breaking down hierarchy.
Curators’ comments
“This collaboration with the National Art Center, Tokyo extends and deepens M+'s commitment to Japanese contemporary art and visual culture in the museum’s transnational collections and programming.
We are confident that Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989–2010 offers a refreshing look at a critical moment in Japanese culture and society in the first two decades of globalization, when contemporary art served as fertile ground for porous exchanges and dialogues. Eschewing a national framework, the exhibition hopes to remind viewers of a remarkable period of internationalism and encourage them to reflect on the possibility of dialogues with the wider world in the 21st century.”
Doryun Chong, Artistic Director and Chief Curator, M+
“This collaboration with the National Art Center, Tokyo extends and deepens M+'s commitment to Japanese contemporary art and visual culture in the museum’s transnational collections and programming.
We are confident that Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989–2010 offers a refreshing look at a critical moment in Japanese culture and society in the first two decades of globalization, when contemporary art served as fertile ground for porous exchanges and dialogues. Eschewing a national framework, the exhibition hopes to remind viewers of a remarkable period of internationalism and encourage them to reflect on the possibility of dialogues with the wider world in the 21st century.”
Doryun Chong, Artistic Director and Chief Curator, M+
“In this ambitious curatorial collaboration, we reflect on a time when artists cast their gaze on everyday life while imbuing their work with sociopolitical messages.
Prism of the Real is being carried out through a constant dialogue between two museums rooted in Asian cities, M+ in Hong Kong and the National Art Center, Tokyo. We examine, from multiple perspectives, art that emerged amid the complexities of an era marked by dynamic shifts in society, politics, economy, and technology.”
Kamiya Yukie, Head, Curatorial Division, Chief Curator
Prism of the Real is being carried out through a constant dialogue between two museums rooted in Asian cities, M+ in Hong Kong and the National Art Center, Tokyo. We examine, from multiple perspectives, art that emerged amid the complexities of an era marked by dynamic shifts in society, politics, economy, and technology.”
Kamiya Yukie, Head, Curatorial Division, Chief Curator
General information
Exhibition Title Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989‒2010
Japanese Title 時代のプリズム：日本で生まれた美術表現 1989‒2010
Traditional Chinese Title 時代的稜鏡：日本的藝術實踐 1989‒2010
Co-curated and co-organized by
The National Art Center, Tokyo and M+, Hong Kong; Japan Arts Council;
Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
Co-presented by Nikkei Inc.
Exhibition Title Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989‒2010
Japanese Title 時代のプリズム：日本で生まれた美術表現 1989‒2010
Traditional Chinese Title 時代的稜鏡：日本的藝術實踐 1989‒2010
Co-curated and co-organized by
The National Art Center, Tokyo and M+, Hong Kong; Japan Arts Council;
Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
Co-presented by Nikkei Inc.
Curatorial Team:
Curatorial Director Doryun Chong, Artistic Director and Chief Curator, M+
Curators Isabella Tam, Curator, Visual Art, M+; Jihye Yun, Curator,
The National Art Center, Tokyo
Coordinating Curator Kamiya Yukie, Head, Curatorial Division, Chief Curator, The National Art Center,
Tokyo Exhibition Advisors Osaka Eriko, Director General,
The National Art Center, Tokyo; Hayashi Sumi, Independent Curator
Curatorial Director Doryun Chong, Artistic Director and Chief Curator, M+
Curators Isabella Tam, Curator, Visual Art, M+; Jihye Yun, Curator,
The National Art Center, Tokyo
Coordinating Curator Kamiya Yukie, Head, Curatorial Division, Chief Curator, The National Art Center,
Tokyo Exhibition Advisors Osaka Eriko, Director General,
The National Art Center, Tokyo; Hayashi Sumi, Independent Curator
Exhibition Period Wednesday, September3, 2025 – Monday, December 8, 2025
Venue The National Art Center, Tokyo Special Exhibition Gallery 1E 7-22-2 Roppongi,
Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8558
Hours 10:00-18:00 (Fridays and Saturdays, 10:00-20:00)
*Last admission 30 minutes before closing
Closed on Tuesdays *Closed on September 24 (open on September 23)
Admission (tax included) Adults 2,000 yen, college students 1,000 yen, high school students 500 yen
*Visitors who are junior high students or under, and disabled people with ID
booklets (along with one assistant) will be admitted for free.
Venue The National Art Center, Tokyo Special Exhibition Gallery 1E 7-22-2 Roppongi,
Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-8558
Hours 10:00-18:00 (Fridays and Saturdays, 10:00-20:00)
*Last admission 30 minutes before closing
Closed on Tuesdays *Closed on September 24 (open on September 23)
Admission (tax included) Adults 2,000 yen, college students 1,000 yen, high school students 500 yen
*Visitors who are junior high students or under, and disabled people with ID
booklets (along with one assistant) will be admitted for free.
Inquiries (+81) 47-316-2772 (Hello Dial)
Website https://www.nact.jp/english/exhibition_special/2025/JCAW/
Website https://www.nact.jp/english/exhibition_special/2025/JCAW/
Press Inquiries
Image: Key visual