Art Fair Tokyo 10-12.04

After a highly successful launch in 2005, Art Fair Tokyo returns to Rafael Viñoli's sleek glass and steel complex, the Tokyo International Forum, conveniently located in central Tokyo. The fair runs for three days from April 10 to 12, 2007. During its trailblazing debut in August 2005, Art Fair Tokyo brought over twentyeight thousand visitors to the Forum, an exceptional site for modern and contemporary art to intersect with traditional Asian art and antique objects. The success of the First Art Fair Tokyo attests to the renewed vitality of the local art market as the Japanese economy enjoys an increasing prosperity. Now in its second year, Art Fair Tokyo will feature over one hundred exhibitors from five countries presenting works by more than six hundred artists. Among participating contemporary art galleries are Tomio Koyama Gallery, Gallery Koyanagi, Shugoarts, Taka Ishii Gallery, SCAI, Taro Nasu, Tokyo Gallery, Nishimura Gallery, Maru Gallery, Mizuma Art Gallery and Takashi Murakami's Kaika Kiki. Modern art galleries include Ginza Yanagi Gallery and Yayoi Gallery. Galleries that exhibit traditional and modern Japanese painting include Sagamiya Art and Gallery Hirota Bijutsu. While Ginza Kuroda Toen specializes in ceramics, T. Edo Inoue & Son Oriental Art offers Asian antiques. From overseas, Galerie Bhak (Seoul) and Art Beatus (Hong Kong) will return to the fair. Fortythree galleries will be participating in the Fair for the first time, including Galeria Continua (San Gimiginano/Beijing), Galeria Pepe Cobo (Madrid), Gallery 55 (Shanghai), and Wako Works of Art (Tokyo) for contemporary art; Galerie Nichido (Tokyo/Paris), Togo Fine Art, Taimei Gallery, Umeda Gallery, and Kyobashi Gallery for modern art; Kobayashi Gallery for traditional and modern Japanese painting; Shibunkaku (Kyoto) for Japanese antiques and works of art; and Mitochu Koeki (Tokyo) for modern ceramics. Emerging galleries such as Nanzuka Underground and Yuka Sasahara are also included. Fair Director Misa Shin states, "Showing a wide range of art from cuttingedge contemporary works to modern painting and traditional Asian art objects, Art Fair Tokyo transcends art genres to bring exquisite works of art to a highly discriminating public that demands true quality. We are proud to host once again this celebration of art in Tokyo, one of today's most vital cultural metropolises." Art Fair Tokyo will host several cultural and educational programs, bringing together artists and other art professionals both within and outside of Japan. A guided tour of the fair will be available for small groups of visitors. Art Fair Tokyo aims to attract wider international participation as well as encouraging collectors and curators to visit from around the world. With this mission in mind, Art Fair Tokyo will take place annually in early April, a time in which the world famous cherry blossoms in Japan are in full bloom.