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

Born in Tokyo in 1952. Graduated from the Faculty of Science at Kyoto University and completed the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Science at the same university, earning a PhD in Science. Served as a visiting researcher at the Karisoke Research Center in the Republic of Rwanda, a researcher at the Japan Monkey Center, an assistant at the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University, an associate professor at the Graduate School of Science at Kyoto University, a professor at the same university, and the dean of both the Graduate School and the Faculty of Science, before serving as the 26th President of Kyoto University until 2020. Specializes in human evolution.
He has been engaged in socio-ecological research on wild Japanese macaques on Yakushima Island and wild gorillas in various parts of Africa. He has served as president of the Primatological Society of Japan, president of the International Primatological Society, president of the Science Council of Japan, and member of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation.
He is currently the director of the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature and a senior advisor for the 2025 World Expo (Osaka-Kansai Expo). He has received the Minakata Kumagusu Prize and the Academia Prize. His books include "Everything Important in Life I Learned from Gorillas" (2020, Ie no Hikari Kyokai), "Children Who Want to Throw Away Their Smartphones - Learning from the Wild to Live in an Unknown Era" (2020, Poplar Shinsho), "What a Gorilla Scholar Thought in the Jungle of Kyoto University" (2021, Asahi Shinsho), "Monkey Voices, Human Language" (2022, Seidosha), "Empathy Revolution - The Evolution and Future of Socializing Humanity" (2023, Kawade Shinsho), "The Voice of the Forest, the Eyes of the Gorilla - Connecting the Essence of Humanity to the Future" (2024, Shogakukan Shinsho), "To Humans Who Only Fight: From the Land of the Gorillas" (2024, Mainichi Shimbun Publishing), and "How to Think about Aging" (2025, Bungeishunju), among many others.

CEO of Artlogue Inc., General Producer of Study: Osaka Kansai International Arts Festival.
Born on Culture Day, November 3, 1977. After participating in a research project at the Global COE of the Osaka City University Urban Research Plaza, he started his own company. He won the Good Design Award in 2014, was a finalist in the Kyoto University GTEP Program (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) in 2015, and won the OIH Award for Global Innovation at the Miraino Pitch Business Contest (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Kinki Regional Bureau) in 2016.
"Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival" will be held from 2022, with the aim of creating the world's largest "Osaka Kansai International Art Festival" on the occasion of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo.

Director of the Center for Environmental and Japanese Studies, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (PhD in Agricultural Economics) and Specially Appointed Professor
Through research in vegetable growing regions, she has discovered new value in traditional agricultural techniques and is conducting practical research into participatory agriculture. She is also involved in the international network of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and is promoting activities that connect agriculture and food. She is also involved in environmental education through collaboration with 10 Asian universities, and in the design and implementation of the "Cultivating the Heart" educational program. At Prefectural University of Hiroshima, she is in charge of regional resource management and serves as director of the Peace Management Project Research Center. In recent years, she has been dedicated to establishing and promoting "ecological ethics" and "environmental Japanese studies."

PhD in Global Environmental Studies. After working as a PD Fellow at the Digital Humanities Center for Japanese Culture at Ritsumeikan University, an Assistant Professor at the Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research at Kobe University, and a Special Assistant Professor at the Center for Co-Design at Osaka University, he will be involved in social collaboration at the National Museum of Ethnology and the management of the Osaka University Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research's "Future Society Research Division that Values Life with a Focus on New Disaster Prevention" from 2022. Researching the effectiveness measurement of art projects from the perspectives of social capital and creativity.
Additionally, as the representative of the general incorporated association Workshop space Apprendre, she conducts workshops on the theme of art and science.

After working as a researcher at the Gangoji Cultural Properties Research Institute, he assumed his current position in 2002. He holds a PhD in Literature and conducts research on methods for preserving and restoring folk cultural properties and preserving materials in museums. His main books and edited books include Onna-Rimono: How They Came About and How Decorative They Are (Tokai University Press, 2008), The Challenge of Museums: What Has Been Done and How Far Has It Been (Miyoshi Kikaku, 2008, co-edited with Sonoda Naoko), Connecting Memories: Tsunami Disasters and Cultural Heritage (Senri Foundation, 2012), Disasters and Cultural Properties: From the Perspective of a Cultural Properties Scientist (Senri Foundation, 2015), and Inheriting Regional Culture: From Disaster Recovery to Social Emergence (Rinkawa Shoten, 2021).

Former program assistant at the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art's Project Planning and Promotion Office. Graduated from the Kobe University Graduate School's Master's course. Currently enrolled in a doctoral course. Specializes in early modern and modern Kyoto art circles, with a particular focus on artists related to the craft field, such as Ito Jakuchu and Kainosho Nan'on. She is the eldest daughter of Ota Sotatsu, the fourth head of the Yusoku Confectionery Toshosho Oimatsu.

Born in 1996. At Osaka University, he is researching virtual beings and future society design. As director of the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion, he plans to exhibit "Virtual Beings of the Future" at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. He is also the principal investigator of a joint research project between Osaka University and the Japan Science and Technology Agency on future society design. In 2021, he served as team leader in a research project for the Moonshot Research and Development Project. He currently serves as chair of the Future Society Creation Committee of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, chairman of the Task Force of the Future Generation Studies Society of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, and a member of the Science Fiction Writers of Japan. In 2022, he received the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award at the Japan Open Innovation Awards, and was selected for Forbes JAPAN 30 UNDER 30 in 2023.

Raised in a 100-year-old temple, he has believed since childhood that his life theme is to "face the suffering of all people," and has responded to approximately 20,000 consultations to date. Since 2000, he has trained at Sennyuji Temple and Daigoji Temple. He has completed a series of rituals, including fasting for seven days without interruption and burning 8,000 gomas. As a clinical religious practitioner, he is involved in activities and research that connect local medical care with temples and shrines, and is involved in the understanding of the concerns of patients and medical professionals. He is currently researching environmental Japanese studies from the perspectives of Shugendo, views on life and death, and ways of thinking about environmental symbiosis. He has given numerous lectures at universities, companies, medical institutions, and other institutions.

Born in Tokyo in 1980. Owner of Shimizu Kobundo Publishing Co., Ltd. In April 2021, he became a full-time lecturer at the Graduate School of Business Administration at Hiroshima Prefectural University (commonly known as HBMS). As a student, he majored in cultural anthropology, and his field work in the Canadian Arctic Territory of Nunavut was the starting point. His books include "Nunavut Volumes 1 and 2: A Journey to Find a Theme Every Day in Inuit Country" and "You and Me with the Blue Bottom: A Journey of the Inner Heart of the Inuit of Canada's Far North," and he has edited and written "To the North Country!! - NUNAVUT HANDBOOK." He has received the Keio University President's Encouragement Award and the Grand Prize at the 3rd Canada Media Awards.
He served as producer of "Asahi Eco Books," a collaborative publishing project with Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. He has worked on many titles, including "The Hunting Mindset" by Yusuke Kakuta.

Since 2000, he has been conducting adventures mainly on foot in the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, the Arctic Ocean, and Antarctica. To date, he has traveled more than 10,000 km in both the North and South Polar Regions. In 2016, he solo-traversed the route connecting the northernmost settlements from Canada to Greenland (a world first), and in 2018, he became the first Japanese person to reach the South Pole solo on foot without any supplies.
He won the 22nd Naomi Uemura Adventure Award. His book "Thinking Legs" won the 9th Tadao Umezawa Mountain and Exploration Literature Award. His co-authored book with Nana Inoue, "PIHOTEK: Walking with the Wind in the North Pole," won the 28th Japan Picture Book Award Grand Prize and the Japan Book Publishers Association Chairman's Award at the 56th Book Design Competition. His other works include "The Arctic Man" and "Why Don't You Walk in the North Pole?".
Since 2021, he has been running a bookstore called "Adventure Research Institute Bookstore" in Yamato City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Born in Hokkaido in 1976. Explorer and author. Known for his unique activities such as solo exploration of the Yarlung Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet and polar night exploration of the Arctic. In recent years, he has practiced long-term travel by dog sled while hunting in Greenland and Ellesmere Island, Canada, the northernmost part of the world. He has won the Kaiko Takeshi Non-Fiction Award and the Oya Soichi Non-Fiction Award for "Five Miles of Blankness: Tackling the World's Largest Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet," the Nitta Jiro Literature Award for "The Yeti Came From the Other Side," the Kodansha Non-Fiction Award for "The Whereabouts of Agulka: All 129 People Died, the Arctic as Seen by the Franklin Expedition," and the Osaragi Jiro Prize for "Polar Night Journey." His recent works include "The Mindset of Hunting," "Impurity of Writing," and "A Mountain Without a Map."

CEO of VISIONGRAPH Inc. / Mirai Yoho Inc., which designs a vision of the future <HOPE>. Representative of SXSW Japan. Graduated from Keio University. Has been analyzing and reporting on SXSW since 2012, and has conducted research, concept design, and lectures on the theme of future prediction. Founded a company in 2016 and the SXSW Japan Office in 2019. Her book "Workstyle in 10 Years" became an Amazon bestseller. Has been an official speaker at SXSW2020/2022 and has given many other lectures.

Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1988. After graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, he joined a major IT company but soon quit. He moved to Nagashima Town, Kagoshima Prefecture, and tried his hand at the education business but then withdrew from the job. He decided to become a solo comedian and entered the R-1 Grand Prix, but lost in the first round. He returned home unemployed. During his "reclusive life," he encountered Eastern philosophy and was deeply moved.
He read various books on Eastern philosophy, including those by Daisetsu Suzuki, Toshihiko Izutsu, and Takeshi Umehara, and his blog articles, in which he wrote about his feelings, became a hot topic, and in 2024 he published the book "There is no such thing as a self. Eastern philosophy as culture."

Born in 1938 on Taketomi Island, Okinawa Prefecture. Graduated from Joshibi University of Art and Design Junior College, Department of Clothing. Studied under Shimura Fukumi in Kyoto, and opened the Koro Kobo with her husband Ishigaki Kinsei on Iriomote Island in 1980. Digging up the island's lost dyeing and weaving traditions, she endeavors to restore traditional dyed and woven items and costumes used for festivals and events. In 1998, launched the collaborative brand "Maapai" with textile designer Maki Chiaki and clothing designer Masago Michiyo. In 1999, exhibited at the "Contemporary Japanese Textiles" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (MOMA). Promoted "Maapai" as an Asian fabric in Okinawa, Tokyo, India, Taiwan and other places.
Her life and work in harmony with the nature of Iriomote Island has attracted attention, and she has appeared in a number of documentary films, including "Symphony of the Earth No. 5" (2004), "AU FIL DU MONDE -JAPON-" (2017), "The Eternal Flow of Life" (2021), and "Spring Breeze, Summer Rain" (2025).

Born in 1980. Graduated from the Department of Intelligent Mechanical Engineering at the University of Electro-Communications, and completed the Graduate School of Information Systems at the same university. PhD in Engineering. In April 2009, she was involved in inkjet research at SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd. From 2015, she traveled to South America, Antarctica, and Europe for about two years. In 2016, he was involved in the development of LOVOT at GROOVE X Co., Ltd. She is responsible for researching the relationship between attachment to robots and owner behavior, functional evaluation and improvement of LOVOT, development of structure and control that balances internal cooling and surface warmth, and servo development.

A robotics engineer specializing in whole-body compliance control of humanoid robots, he is currently engaged in research and development of next-generation robotics at Honda R&D's Advanced Technology Research Center. After graduating from Waseda University Graduate School, he joined Honda Motor Co., Ltd. after working at Hitachi, Ltd. At Stanford University, he worked for many years on human-collaborative robot control using ASIMO under Professor Oussama Khatib, and obtained his Eng.D., Ph.D. in Engineering. He has been working to establish safe and flexible motion control technology for humanoid robots. In recent years, he has also focused on the development of human walking assistance, remote robotics, and AI control technology based on human motion understanding. He also serves as co-chair of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society's Human Movement Understanding Technical Committee, and contributes to building an international research network by holding workshops, etc.

His major works, solo exhibitions and photo books include HANAKO, which depicts the life cycle of improved chickens (invited to a solo exhibition at the Rotterdam Photo Biennale, in the collection of the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto), and the artificial forest EXPO'70 Miracle Forest, created on the site of the pavilions of the 1970 World Expo. He won the Grand Prize at the Kyoto International Film Festival Hi-Vision Festa for "Gamecock and Lotus Root Field." He has also produced exhibitions at the Hanahaku Photography Museum, Eiko Yamazawa's exhibitions, Tomatsu Shomei's photo books and exhibitions, and various video programs. He is a recipient of the Sakuyakonohana Award and a member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society (JPS). He has served as professor at Seian University of Art and Design and Kwansei Gakuin University.

Born in Osaka Prefecture.
With physicality as a theme, his first line includes video works, performances, and the "HIWADROME" series of installation works that use the wheelchair he himself uses to get around.
Additionally, he is involved in projects such as "walkingpractice™," which considers and proposes mobility and accessibility through travel, workshops, and architectural interventions; "TRAIL by walkingpractice™," a road surface recording project using a wheelchair knitting machine; and noise sound gigs using the "Electric wheelchair sound generator."

After working at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University and the National Museum of Ethnology, he is now a Professor Emeritus at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature. He will be in charge of the endowed chair "Environmental Japanese Studies" from April 1, 2024.
He has been conducting forest and rural surveys in Southeast Asia and China for many years. He turned to environmental studies because he believes that the root of environmental problems is the distorted relationship between nature and people. In recent years, he has been conducting more surveys in rural areas of Japan.
From 2003 to 2021, he served as the session coordinator for "Water and Cultural Diversity" at the World Water Forum in collaboration with UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), and in 2015 he was also involved in designing the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems system as an expert committee member.

Born in Kawasaki City in 1978. After graduating from the Department of Architecture at Hongik University, he completed a Master's degree at the Faculty of Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Milan and joined Nikken Sekkei. He was involved in the design of the Kumamoto Station building, "AMUPLAZA Kumamoto," among other projects.
Since going independent, he has worked on a wide range of projects, including the renovation of guest rooms at the Gajoen inn in Myoken Onsen, Kagoshima, the Coffee Corridor cafe at Kumamoto Airport, and a newly built wooden house in Tokyo.
He currently works at LaundryRice (LaundryRice Architects), a first-class architectural firm located in the historic Merry Road Takanawa shopping arcade in Takanawa, Minato Ward, Tokyo.
The office also operates the "LaundryRice/cafe" and is involved in community activities rooted in the local area.

Born in 1976. Specializes in transscape theory and nature-engaged art. Based on transscape theory, which is based on landscape design in the field of life and environmental sciences where he obtained his doctorate, and communication design in clinical philosophy where he taught, he creates environmental art and spatial art, as well as performing as an actor in videos and on stage. He won the 1st Japan Space Design Award and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun Prize for "Spring, When the Fog Clears and the Light Comes," an installation of fog and soap bubbles for inpatients at a large hospital. In 2020, his film "Seeing Differently," which he directed, won awards at four European film festivals. He also conducts cross-disciplinary research and expressive activities, such as creating sculpture embankments for poor communities in Bangladesh, spatial installations in museums, design fieldwork at sacred sites around the world, and situational performances in the city. While teaching university students in his current position in the Department of Modern Systems Science, he also presides over "School of Humans," a dialogue space for teenagers in elementary, junior high, and high school to reconsider what is taken for granted in society. His major works include "Design of the Gaze" (NTT Publishing, 2017, Japan Institute of Landscape Architecture Award), and "Revolution of the Gaze" (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 2022), which analyzes the post-COVID society, and is used in many junior high, high school, and university entrance exams. This time, he has published "Compassionism," a dialogue book with Venerable Sumedha, who has taught him Vipassana meditation for the past 10 years, and this is his first co-authored work with religious scholar Toji Kamata since "Beyond the Human Scale: Me, the Sacred Land, and the Earth" (Buneumasha, 2020).

Born in Kyoto in 1974. Graduated from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Kyoto University. From the age of three, he was taught by his grandfather, the second head of the school, Kunpo Sasaoka, and in 2011, he succeeded him as the third head of the school. Pursuing the possibilities of Ikebana as a performing art, he has presented Ikebana performances at official events overseas, including the ceremony commemorating the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Switzerland. In 2016, he was in charge of the flower arrangements at the G7 Ise-Shima Summit. He was the final runner in Kyoto Prefecture for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay. In 2024, he received the Local Education Administration Merit Award from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. His main work is "Ikebana" (Shincho Shinsho).
Head of the Mishoryu Sasaoka style of flower arrangement. Visiting professor at Notre Dame University, Kyoto. Visiting professor at Taisho University. Member of the Kyoto City Board of Education. As an ambassador for Kyoto City's "DO YOU KYOTO?", he appeals for the prevention of environmental destruction.

After working for the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), studied in Japan from 2008. D. (Literature, 2016) from the Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Graduate School of Cultural Sciences. She specializes in cultural anthropology, funerary studies, and visual anthropology. Since 2017, she has been affiliated with the Institute for Integrated Global Environmental Studies, where she conducts research activities to explore the possibilities of humanistic knowledge communication mediated by images and collaboration between anthropology and art. She is the author of “Ethnography of Natural Burial in Contemporary Japan” (2019, Tousuishobou) and co-editor with artist Maiko Jinshu of “Funeral and Camera” (2021, Sayusha), etc. In 2024, she hold the exhibition “‘Portrait of Death’ Chong Ri Ae × Kim Sat Byul: Horizon Opened by Collaboration between Cultural Anthropology and Art” (UMU). She is currently conducting research on the theme of death and funerals with artist Chong Ri Ae.

After serving as an executive officer at Warehouse TERRADA, CEO at TERRADA ART ASSIST, and an associate professor at Yokohama Art University, he is currently the president and CEO of MISSAO, CEO of PT MISSAO CORP INDONESIA (a MISSAO group company, an Indonesian subsidiary), and chairman of the Indonesia-Japan Art and Culture Exchange Association. After working in the arts business (storage, transportation, restoration, etc.) in Japan for many years, he is now focusing on art business and arts and cultural exchange projects in Indonesia. Utilizing his expertise in the storage, transportation, and restoration of artworks, he has given numerous lectures and consultancies in Indonesia, and is enthusiastically and continuously working to build a bridge between the arts and cultures of Indonesia and Japan.

Born in Indonesia in 1987, he graduated from the Indonesian Institute of Arts (Institut Seni Indonesia/ISI) in Yogyakarta with a Bachelor's degree in Painting. He is currently based in Yogyakarta and is a contemporary artist. He is known for his paintings and sculptures that explore the contradictions and ironies of modern society and lifestyles. His work weaves together icons and stories from pop culture, media and technology, overlaid with personal memories and folklore. He has participated in artist-in-residency programs in various countries, including Passau, Germany; Brisbane, Australia; South Korea; and Singapore. His awards include the 2009 Artmajeur Art Award (Silver Award), the 20 Best Comic Strips by the Goethe-Institut in Jakarta, and the Second Heritage Award for Portraits of Indonesia at the National Museum of Indonesia. He is also involved in performance art, which he considers to be part of his multi-disciplinary practice.

Originally from India, she is a specialist with over 10 years of experience in the PR and communications field, specializing in projects focused on art, culture and community. Currently based in Bali, Indonesia, she is part of the Nuanu Creative City team, where she oversees PR and media strategies to consistently communicate the brand's core values and story. She also leads the planning and management of special art projects such as Bali's first international art fair, Art & Bali, and the international photography festival, FOTO Bali Festival. She is also dedicated to building strategic partnerships to expand Nuanu's presence in the creative and cultural sectors.

Artpreneur and curator from Indonesia, currently living in Baden, Switzerland. With education and work experience in visual communication, design and management, her passion for art led her to study photography and art courses at the Royal Photographic Society, Oxford University, Berlin Nord Center, and to obtain a Masters in Curating from Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland. She is CEO of Connected Art Platform, a global hub that connects artists, innovators and art lovers across borders. Through the platform, we empower people to thrive in the dynamic world of art and culture by facilitating collaboration, fostering creativity and opening doors to local and international markets. She has organized and curated over 10 international art festivals, over 30 exhibitions and symposiums, winning six awards. She has also served as a jury member for diversity competitions and her work has been featured in media across five languages. With her extensive experience in the creative industry, she is a bridge between different disciplines, nurturing new talent and building a bridge between diverse communities. She will be serving as a curator for the first-ever art fair in Bali, "Art & Bali," which will be held in September 2025. She will also be coming to Japan from July 20, 2025 to participate in "Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025" and the accompanying fair, "Study × PLAS: Asia Art Fair," in Osaka, where the World Expo is being held.

Founder of Nuanu Creative City. With diverse spaces for education, arts and culture, health, entertainment, and a lifestyle in harmony with nature, Nuanu Creative City is a place where creators, leaders, and changemakers gather. In August 2024, Asia's largest crypto and Web3 event, Coinfest Asia 2024, will be held, attracting over 7,000 visitors. In September 2025, the art fair Art & Bali is scheduled to be held. Lev Kroll has extensive experience in the fields of IT, investment, and entrepreneurship, and has held leadership roles in multiple startups. In particular, as CEO and CSO of AppCapital.vc, he led the acquisition and development of subscription apps for emerging markets. His activities also extend to creative agencies, SaaS companies, and the world's largest escape game network, Claustrophobia. In Italy, he led the development of the education-focused Incantico, and also served as CMO of AI smart devices in the CIS market. He currently supports technological innovation as a mentor and director in several startups. Nuanu is his ideal creative city, designed as an inclusive space open to all artists. "We welcome collaboration with anyone, including local artists. If you are interested, please contact Nuanu to discuss possible partnerships," he says. Lev's vision is to develop Nuanu into an innovative city and creative center through a supportive and inclusive ecosystem. He aims to embrace diverse ideas and expressions and become a bridge between modern cities and traditional culture.

Born in 1971 to the family of "Sumiya Orimoto", a Sanada cord weaving company founded in Ishikawa Prefecture. He works in consulting and public relations at Nomura Research Institute, and plans the "NRI Future Creation Forum", which brings together a diverse range of pioneers in the fields of economics, science, and society. After volunteering at the Yokohama Triennale, he became fascinated by the possibilities of art and organized "Hatch Art" at the former Yokohama Finance Bureau site and a project to connect the community with art. He serves as the Director of Communications at Art Fair Tokyo and works with the Agency for Cultural Affairs to publish art market research reports. From 2021, he will serve as CEO of DART, an art advisor for companies, communities, and individuals, as well as the Artist in Residence Director at Kyoto Manpukuji Temple (until 2023), supporting the use of art for companies, communities, individuals, etc. In 2024, he will curate the "Wim Wenders' Transparent Gaze" exhibition. He continues to work to connect art and society. He currently lives in Kamakura and is also creating a place for cultural activities rooted in Kamakura.