The arts and culture fundamentally shape the character of a city and drive its continued growth. In Tokyo, a megacity where countless people and perspectives intersect, this exhibition aims to be more than a place to display works of art. Using art as a catalyst, it will encourage interaction across different fields, bringing together artists, audiences, companies, educational institutions, and others, encouraging awareness of diverse viewpoints, inviting reflection on contemporary issues, and sparking curiosity about the future.

The TOKYO ATLAS International Art Exhibition will be held in Tokyo's waterfront area, which also serves as a gateway to the wider world, and in this dynamic setting where the city and shoreline meet, artists from Japan and overseas will come together and, through their work, present a new vision of Tokyo.

The ATLAS in the title refers both to Atlas, the mythological figure who upholds the world, and to an atlas as a book of maps. Alongside exhibitions by prominent international artists, a special program will feature emerging artists who have received support from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Through the diverse artistic approaches that intersect here, the exhibition aims to offer opportunities for people to not only encounter art but also to follow the maps presented by the artworks, experience Tokyo in a new light, and deepen their understanding of the metropolis.

One of the exhibition's main venues, Daiba Park, is an artificial island built in the late Edo period (1603–1868) as a battery intended to repel ships demanding that Japan open its ports to trade, yet it ultimately marked the country's opening to the world without a single shot being fired. Works set within this historic park, which marked the beginning of the modern era in Japan, are sure to produce an extraordinary landscape in which history meets forward-looking art face to face.

Another of the main venues, Aomi Minami Port Park is located next to the Aomi Container Terminal, a customs-controlled port area lined with large cargo containers and gantry cranes. From the park, visitors can look out over the Port of Tokyo’s international maritime traffic. Planned projects include Abraham Poincheval’s performance La Bouteille (2015–), in which the artist lives inside a giant bottle to examine questions of privacy and public space, and Goat’s Eyes (2020–), a project led by Ozawa Tsuyoshi’s laboratory at Tokyo University of the Arts and collaborators that explores sustainable sites for artwork production, research, and creative activity through the practice of caring for goats. Set on the waterfront in the global city of Tokyo, the site is envisioned as a campsite or small village where dialogue among artists and participants, and coexistence not only among people but also with animals and plants, open space for thinking about alternative social practices and future forms of community.

Artistic Directors : Miki Akiko and Tatehata Akira