During the post-WWII rapid economic growth period, Japan continuously had national-scale events where internationalization was heavily promoted, and Japan today seems to be getting the momentum rolling again. In the contemporary art world too, there has been growing discussion of issues such as postcolonialism and multiculturalism, and the number of new venues for the presentation of art, in the form of biennials, art fairs, etc., has increased. The rise of Asian economies has been especially notable in recent years, spawning new art museums and markets in the region.

For this exhibition, we have chosen six artists whose careers propelled them beyond the confines of Japan during this period, earning them high acclaim today around the world, and across generations, and will trace the journey of these artists from their earliest to the latest works. STARS explores how the practice of each artist has been evaluated in the global context, and touch upon these artists’ pursuit of universal issues transcending nationality and culture; traditions and aesthetics; technology and subculture, while keeping in mind aspects of social, cultural and economic background unique and particular to Japan.

The exhibition also presents archival materials related to the major Japanese contemporary art shows staged internationally from the 1950s to the present, examining the bases for evaluating art and the historical lineage of exhibitions down the decades.