Study：大阪関西国際芸術祭 | 2025 Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025

Study x PLAS: Selections will feature a special exhibition by Ha Ji-won, an actor and painter, an exhibition of works by the art studio "EMISSION" led by Takahiro Matsuo, "Study: Artists" by 16 groups of artists participating in the art festival, and a "Japan-Korea Special Exhibition" by Japanese and Korean artists. In addition, the festival will explore the connection between art and society through a variety of projects, including the "NIIZAWA Art Lounge" where sake and contemporary art are fused together, an exhibition by Science Art Award winners, and the international symposium "Study x PLAS Meeting."

Ha Ji-won, who is active as both an actor and an artist, has constructed a world of work that crosses painting, installation and plastic expression based on her long experience of communicating with the public, her inner experiences and her visual senses. This special exhibition focuses on artist Ha Ji-won's recent works, and is comprised of visual pieces that explore the themes of "figuration of emotions" and "sculptural responses to personal memories." This exhibition, which is the first of its kind to be organized as a standalone project at an overseas art fair, is also attracting attention for presenting a new style of dialogue in contemporary art that harmonizes star quality and artistry.

EMISSION is an art studio led by Matsuo Takahiro, a light artist who is in charge of the Shiga Prefecture booth at the Kansai Pavilion at the Osaka Expo. This exhibition, supported by Tokyo Tatemono's art hub BAG-Brillia Art Gallery, which focuses on lifestyle and art, will feature artwork on the theme of "crystallization of light."

Since 2015, Niizawa Brewery has been running the art project "NIIZAWA Prize by ARTLOGUE," which uses label designs by contemporary artists for its sake "NIIZAWA" and "NIIZAWA KIZASHI," and uses a portion of the proceeds to promote culture and the arts. This lounge will also feature the "Omiya Ellie Flowers" exhibition, which displays works by the first (2015) artist, Tetsuro Kano, and the 2022 artist Ellie Omiya, who passed away in April this year, on the walls, as well as an exhibition of Expo commemorative bottles created in collaboration with Kaneuji Teppei.
*Artworks and sake bottles can be purchased in advance.

Cooperation: Tomio Koyama Gallery, Omiya Ellie Office, Kano Tetsuro, Kaneuji Teppei
Furniture sponsor: Nichiyasu Co., Ltd.

You can see works related to those exhibited at each venue of "Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025", as well as works that showcase new expressions and appeal from the 16 artists, and works with a story connected to the Osaka-Kansai Expo.

[Study x PLAS: Asia Art Fair Exhibiting and Selling Artists]

Okunaka Akihito / Kaneuji Teppei / Tominaga Atsuya / Nakajima Mugi / Hashiguchi Lintalow / Hiwa Kazuhiko / Miyake Mai / BAKIBAKI / COOK / DONECY / Takato Maki / Kim Sajik / Shuzo Azuchi Gulliver / Hata Yoshio / Yoshida Momoko / Rokutake
*Artist names are listed in alphabetical order for each venue.

Cooperation: “Ichihodo” Ginza/NY “Kamigata Ginka” Osaka, Gallery NAO MASAKI Ltd., The Third Gallery Aya

One of the main events of the fair is the "Japan-Korea Exchange Special Exhibition," which features a total of 10 artists, five from Korea and five from Japan, and is structured as an exhibition that goes beyond simple exhibition cooperation and aims to foster an intersection of the contemporary art sensibilities of the two countries.
The exhibition is being prepared with the participation of two curators from Korea and Japan, led by Dalseung HWANG, former president of the Korea Art Gallery Association, and Yoshitaro Sakaue, former director of the Itami Museum of Art, and with a focus on balance and aesthetic tension.

Director: Dalseung HWANG (Korea) / Yoshitaro Sakaue (Japan)
Participating Korean artists: Jihoon KIM / Sung Somin / LEE Kyejin / Youngjin JUN / Hannah KIM
Participating Japanese artists: Miwa Kawai / Chikako Shibata / Akika Nakayama / Yasuyo Fujibe

KG+ is an open-entry art festival that began in 2013 with the aim of discovering and supporting promising photographers and curators. With the aim of sending new talent from Kyoto out to the world, we are widely inviting motivated participants to hold exhibitions.

Planning cooperation: Daido Moriyama Foundation

Tiffany Bouelle, who has Japanese and French roots, creates drawings, spatial presentations, and three-dimensional works based on words she has gained from her experiences in life, such as traveling and childbirth. After working as a stylist in the fashion industry, she expanded her activities as an artist, presenting works characterized by abstract expression that are also related to the calligraphy art influenced by her Japanese grandfather, who was a poet.

With the theme of "Folding Tradition", this exhibition showcases the diverse work of six contemporary Chinese artists, who explore new visual languages with ink painting, or reinvent classical aesthetics with sculpture and composite materials, sharing the tension between tradition and innovation that contemporary Chinese art creates.

Ink artists continue to convey the sentiments of the ancients through their brushwork and spirit, while breaking through the boundaries of media. Sculptors and composite artists take materiality as their starting point, exploring contemporary expressions of oriental aesthetics in form and concept. Though the media are different, these works together constitute a "cultural fold" - tradition is not overturned, but folded, expanded and reinterpreted to form new artistic dimensions.

In this concise yet condensed exhibition space, visitors will encounter a microcosm of Chinese contemporary art. Some works look back at history, while others are experimental and forward-looking. Through these works, we hope to present the fluid and nonlinear evolution of art, allowing audiences of all cultural backgrounds to sense the vitality and potential of tradition in contemporary creation.

This is a satellite talk event for the symposium "Study × PLAS Meeting: Art & Impact - Where are we (the Earth) Going", which tackles global issues through transdisciplinary discussions that cross different fields such as art, science, technology, and anthropology.

At Indonesia Day on the 21st, art experts from both Japan and Indonesia will unravel the latest information about Indonesia's unknown art scene, introducing it from a perspective that has never been discussed before.

[Speakers]

Lev Kroll (CEO, Nuanu Creative City)
Kelsang Dolma (Project Director of Art&Bali, Director of Public Relations and Special Art Projects, Nuanu Creative City)
Mona Liem (CEO of Connected Art Platform, Curator of Art & Bali)
Hiroaki Sumiya (Art Producer, Art Advisor DART / Communications Director of the Osaka Kansai International Art Festival)
Yasuyuki Korekawa (CEO of MISSAO Inc.)
M Lugas Syllabus (contemporary artist)

Study: We will introduce the activities of Matsubara City, a partner city of the Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025.
Matsubara City is promoting the revitalization of the region by incorporating street culture and art through the Osaka-Kansai Expo and skateboarding. Matsubara City held a collaboration event with Study on June 21, 2025, as part of the Matsubara Lantern Festival, a commemorative event for the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the city.

Study: Introducing domestic and international media partners working with the Osaka Kansai International Arts Festival. In addition to being available as a rest area or meeting place, you can sample Indonesian coffee brand "CVOLA" coffee for four days only (while stocks last). Enjoy a moment of relaxation with art and a highly aromatic coffee from Indonesia.