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16th February 2009
The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation is delighted to announce a new and innovative art prize introducing British artists to Japan. The Daiwa Foundation Art Prize is an original project that offers a British artist a first solo show in Japan. In addition to an exhibition, the winning artist will be given a period of support and introductions to key individuals and organisations in the Japanese contemporary art world. The winning artist will also be awarded a participation fee of £5000. This is a ground breaking project and a unique opportunity to introduce a British artist to a leading Japanese art gallery. In this its inaugural year the prize is open to British artists resident in the UK who have not previously had a solo exhibition in Japan. Artists applying for the prize are required to submit documentation of four recent works, in any medium (including painting, photography, drawing, sculpture, installation, video etc), a supporting CV and personal statement. The judging panel will select a short list of three artists. Works by all three of the short list will be exhibited at the Daiwa Foundation Japan House Gallery and a winner will be announced in June 2009. The winner will then go to Japan in August 2009 and exhibit at the cutting-edge Tomio Koyama Gallery in Tokyo. The gallery represents artists such as Franz Ackerman, Benjamin Butler, Ernesto Neto, Yoshitomo Nara, Mika Ninagawa and Mika Kato. The selection panel includes an eminent selection of exhibition curators, art critics and artists. This year's panel includes Jonathan Watkins, the Director of Ikon Gallery Birmingham, which features temporary exhibitions of a variety of media, including sound, film, mixed media, photography, painting, sculpture and installation; Mami Kataoka an internationally-renowned Curator who curates exhibitions at The Hayward and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo; Tomio Koyama, a gallery owner and art collector, who represents many major contemporary Japanese and international artists and exhibits globally; Joanna Pitman, Art Critic for the The Times and former Times correspondent in Japan; and Edmund de Waal, artist potter, curator, writer and Professor of Ceramics at the University of Westminster. The Director General of the Daiwa Foundation, Professor Marie Conte-Helm, has commented: “The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation is pleased to be offering opportunities for British artists in Japan through this creative visual arts initiative. We believe that this prize will open new doors and contribute to the career development of British artists by providing introductions and insights into the Japanese art world”. The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation is a UK charity, established in 1988 with a generous benefaction from Daiwa Securities Co Ltd. Its purpose is to support closer links between Britain and Japan in all fields of activity, including the visual arts. In its 20th anniversary year, the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation is launching a visual arts prize. Each year the Foundation will collaborate with a different partner organisation in Japan. In this inaugural year the Tokyo-based, Tomio Koyama Gallery will be the partner organisation. From the Foundation's perspective, the prize initiative will proactively signal a commitment to supporting links between the art world in the UK and Japan. 2 March 2009: closing date for applications. June 2009: short-listed artists shown at the Daiwa Foundation Japan House Gallery, London.
August/September 2009: winning artist's solo show at the Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.
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