“Body, I’m Fine” at Sendai Mediatheque from November 3; A Two-Person Exhibition by Seiran Tsuno and Kento Nito

The exhibition “Body, I’m Fine” opened at Sendai Mediatheque (Aoba-ku, Sendai) on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (national holiday). It runs for 63 days until Monday, January 11, 2027 (national holiday), in Gallery 4200 on the 6th floor. It is a two-person exhibition by Seiran Tsuno and Kento Nito, who continue to reflect on and express the body. Tsuno, who is also a nurse, and Nito, who works with sculpture as his starting point, show through their works how we relate to others through the body.

Why “I’m fine” now? The exhibition’s theme

“I’m fine” (daijobu desu) is a phrase that reduces friction with others through a gentle refusal and keeps relationships smooth. At the same time, the Mediatheque points out that the phrase also works to keep away deep involvement with others and others stepping into one’s inner self.

The exhibition statement says that, as the evolution of AI suggests, there is a trend in society toward outsourcing how we come to terms with many matters surrounding the body. Against this backdrop, the exhibition introduces two artists who seek to build close relationships with others through the body. According to the Mediatheque, both began their explorations by learning about the difficulties of the body and came to an awareness of their relationships with others.

What can visitors see? Two artists questioning the body through clothing and “weight”

Seiran Tsuno: Carrying a dress, walking with support

Tsuno was born in 1990. While working in home-visit nursing as a nurse, she creates work across clothing-making, bodily experience, writing and more. She completed graduate studies at the Institute of Science Tokyo in 2026. She has continued research and production at “coconogacco,” run by Yoshikazu Yamagata, and at “Urakawa Bethel House” in Hokkaido.

The Mediatheque introduces Tsuno as an artist who depicts how the relationship between those who give care and those who receive it is not one-directional. “Walking With” (2025), shown on the exhibition page, is a work in which Tsuno, carrying a huge dress on her back, moves forward while supported by friends. It shows a way of being in a body that cannot exist without others. The flyer also features “Out of Body, In Dress” (2025). Her major exhibitions include “Costume Art” (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2026) and “Aperto 20: Seiran Tsuno – Bodies That Cannot Be Together” (21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, 2025).

Kento Nito: From bodies that bear each other’s weight to family

Nito was born in 1986 and completed the graduate program in sculpture at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2012. Starting from sculpture, he works in a wide range of media, including photography, video and installation, and is known for work that visualizes untouchable boundaries with others and weight.

“Treading on Someone’s Weight,” shown on the exhibition page, is a work focused on physically sensing the relationship between oneself and others through the acts of bearing and supporting each other’s weight. Starting from the bodily experience of supporting weight together, Nito’s interest has extended to his mother, his spouse and his child. Recent works question the bewilderment that arises in raising children and the relationship between “I” and family as it changes through the role of being a parent. His major exhibitions include “Caring / Motherhood” (Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito, 2023) and “Our standpoint” (Art Center Ongoing, Tokyo, 2026).

As of October 20, a list of exhibited works had not been posted on the official website.

Related events: A tour with the artists, talks with Asa Ito and others, and dialogue-based viewing sessions

• Workshop “Our standpoint”: Sunday, November 1, 13:00–16:00. Before the opening, participants work with Nito to make his work “standpoint” in Gallery 4200 on the 6th floor while it is being installed. Free, advance application required, first 50 people. For those able to touch plaster, stay still for a certain time and climb a stepladder; parents and children are welcome to take part together.

• Gallery tour by the exhibiting artists and curator: Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday), 14:00–15:30. First 30 people, no application required. A ticket stub for the exhibition from that day is required.

• Guest talks: On Sunday, November 15, artist Kohei Kobayashi (Professor, Department of Painting (Oil Painting), Musashino Art University) and Nito; on Saturday, November 21, aesthetician Asa Ito (Professor, Institute of Science Tokyo) and Tsuno. Both 14:00–16:00 in the 6th-floor foyer, first 30 people, no application required, free.

• Philosophy café: Saturday, November 28 and Sunday, November 29, 14:00–16:30, 6th-floor foyer. Facilitated by Takahiro Nishimura of clinical philosophy (Professor, Graduate School of Humanities, Osaka University) and Mamiko Chikada of psychiatric nursing (Professor, Faculty of Nursing, Osaka Seikei University). No application required, free; participation on one day only.

• Chatty viewing sessions for blind and sighted people: Friday, December 4, 10:00–12:00 and Sunday, December 6, 13:00–15:00. A program in which blind and sighted people view the exhibition while talking with each other; no explanation of the works is given. Planned and facilitated by Chie Kajiwara, associate professor at Miyagi University of Education. For those aged 15 and over who can put their thoughts into words. About 10 people per session (5 blind and 5 sighted), advance application required, with a lottery if oversubscribed. The deadline is Friday, November 20, and exhibition admission is required.

• Art workshop (title TBA): Saturday, December 19, 13:00–16:00, 6th-floor foyer. Run by students of Tohoku University of Art and Design (in cooperation with the university’s Yamamoto Seminar). No application required, and participants may join or leave at any time. Details will be announced later.

Tickets, prices and access

Admission is 500 yen for adults (including university and vocational school students), and free for high school students and younger. People aged 65 and over, and holders of a disability certificate and one attendant, pay half price. Discounts require proof of age such as a student ID, driver’s license or health insurance card. The Mediatheque asks those who would like individual information support or viewing accommodations to consult in advance by email or phone.

Hours are 11:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30). The Mediatheque is closed on Thursday, November 26 and over the New Year holidays from Tuesday, December 29 to Sunday, January 3. It is a 7-minute walk from the “Koen 2” exit of Kotodai-koen Station on the Namboku Subway Line. From bus stop 60 in front of Sendai Station, take a bus bound for “Kotsukyoku Daigaku Byoin via Jozenji-dori Shiyakusho-mae” with a route number starting with J or X (about 10 minutes) and get off at “Mediatheque-mae.” Walking from Sendai Station takes about 30 minutes.

Editor’s perspective

The related events bring together an aesthetician, a clinical philosopher and a psychiatric nursing researcher, and also include viewing sessions in which blind and sighted people exchange words. Repeatedly creating opportunities during the run not only to look at works but to converse with others overlaps with the exhibition’s theme of thinking about our relationships with others through the body.

During the run, from December 4 to 27, the 2026 SENDAI Pageant of Starlight is held on Jozenji-dori near the Mediatheque. The free permanent display “On Display” in the building also includes works by Lieko Shiga, who held her solo exhibition “Spiral Shore” at the Mediatheque in 2012–13 and whose solo exhibition “Lieko Shiga: Nanumo Kanumo” opens at the Aomori Museum of Art on October 31.

Overview

Name: Body, I’m Fine
Dates: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (national holiday) – Monday, January 11, 2027 (national holiday)
Hours: 11:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30)
Closed: Thursday, November 26, Tuesday, December 29 – Sunday, January 3
Venue: Gallery 4200, 6F, Sendai Mediatheque
Address: 2-1 Kasugamachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi
Admission: Adults 500 yen (including university and vocational school students), high school students and younger free. Half price for those aged 65 and over and holders of a disability certificate and one attendant
Artists: Seiran Tsuno, Kento Nito
Organizer: Sendai Mediatheque (Sendai Cultural Foundation)
Grants: Japan Foundation for Regional Art-Activities, Japan Arts Fund
Cooperation: LEESAYA
Visual design: Mina Tabei
Official website: https://www.smt.jp/projects/bodyimfine/
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Exterior of Sendai Mediatheque (photo: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on information on the Sendai Mediatheque official website and its flyer (as of October 20, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team