#Media Art

[Autumn/Winter 2026] Shinjuku, Hatsudai and Waseda Art Guide: Tokyo Opera City, ICC, SOMPO Museum of Art, Yayoi Kusama Museum and More

A roundup, as of October 31, of exhibitions at eight museums in Hatsudai/Nishi-Shinjuku and Waseda/Bentencho. ICC Annual 2026 runs until November 8 and the Albert Marquet exhibition at the SOMPO Museum of Art until December 13. Waseda University’s three museums are free, and the Yayoi Kusama Museum is by advance reservation only.

DATALAND, a Museum of AI Arts, Opens in Los Angeles: Inaugural Exhibition Runs Through January 31, 2027, with Tickets from $49

DATALAND, a “museum of AI arts” co-founded by Refik Anadol, opened in Los Angeles in June 2026. Its inaugural exhibition, in which AI trained on data from nature generates images and scents, runs through January 31, 2027.

Lumen Prize 2026 Winners to Be Announced in November: 89 Finalists Across Three Categories Include Works Shown in Japan

In 2026, the Lumen Prize, an international award for art and technology, selected 89 finalists from entries from 82 countries. Winners will be announced in November, and the top prize, the Gold Award, carries $15,000.

Hong Kong’s M+ Marks Its Fifth Anniversary in 2026: A 400-Work “Myths and Monsters” Exhibition and Over 10.4 Million Visitors to Date

M+ in West Kowloon, Hong Kong, marks its fifth anniversary in November, and in October it opened a special exhibition tracing fantasy in Asian art through more than 400 works. According to its 2025 annual report, it has welcomed more than 10.4 million visitors since opening.

Seoul Light DDP Autumn 2026 Draws 700,000 with Music-Reactive Visuals for the First Time; Winter Edition Begins December 17

The autumn edition of the media art festival that uses the 222 m facade of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul drew 700,000 visitors over 11 days in September. It introduced visuals that change with the music for the first time, and the winter edition begins on December 17.

Agency for Cultural Affairs Requests ¥233.5 Billion for Fiscal 2027; Japan Tourism Agency Seeks ¥180 Billion Funded by the International Tourist Tax

The Agency for Cultural Affairs is seeking ¥233.5 billion, more than double its previous-year budget, with new programs including ¥64.9 billion in support for developing creators and others. The Japan Tourism Agency has requested ¥180 billion funded by the International Tourist Tax. The final amounts will be decided in the upcoming budget process.

13.0% Viewed Art in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Opinion Survey: How to Read “Art” That Includes Media Art, and Museum Statistics

The Agency for Cultural Affairs’ opinion survey counts media art as part of “art,” and 13.0% of respondents went out to view art in 2025. Together with museum statistics, we use primary sources to sort out how digital art is counted.

“Feel the Sound” Opens in Takanawa on November 20 with Ryuichi Sakamoto + Daito Manabe and Others: An Immersive Exhibition Co-produced with London’s Barbican

From November 20, MoN Takanawa will host “Feel the Sound,” an immersive exhibition co-produced with the UK’s Barbican Centre. With artists including Ryuichi Sakamoto + Daito Manabe and Max Cooper, it lets visitors feel sound with their bodies. Adult tickets cost 2,500 yen.

First “Coral Islands Science and Art Biennale” Ran on Kikai Island Until November 8, Presenting an Uplifted Coral Reef Island Through Video, Sound and Light

A coral reef research institute on Kikai Island, Kagoshima, and the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature co-hosted the first edition of this art festival. Works by Shoyo Miyao and others were installed at six sites on the island, including a beach and an underground dam tunnel. Viewing the exhibits was free.

What Is Media Art? From Nam June Paik to Ryoji Ikeda and teamLab: Its History and Where to See It

How did art that uses television, video and computers as means of expression come about, and where can it be seen? Using official information, we trace the story from Paik’s video art to Ars Electronica, ICC, YCAM and Ryoji Ikeda.

[2026] Major Awards in Art, Design and Spatial Production, from the Good Design Award to the Praemium Imperiale

The Good Design Award was announced on October 15, and the Praemium Imperiale ceremony takes place on the 28th. We set out the main awards in Japan and abroad whose results came out in 2026, by organizer, announcement date and main winners.

Yebisu International Festival for Art & Alternative Visions 2027 Opens February 5 at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum; New Works by Four Commissioned Artists to Premiere

The international festival of moving images and art runs from February 5 to 21, 2027. The theme and participating artists have not been announced, but the four artists of the third Commission Project are set to present new video works.

Yoichi Ochiai’s “null²ⁿ” Opens at Yokohama Landmark Plaza; Expo Pavilion Becomes a Permanent Theater

The pavilion “null²,” produced by Yoichi Ochiai for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, opened in Yokohama on October 14 as a permanent museum theater. Visitors move through rooms of mirrors and darkness; the experience takes about 60 minutes on average.

YOSHIROTTEN Exhibition Opens October 30 at TOKYO NODE; New Works Using JAXA Astronomical Observation Data

YOSHIROTTEN’s largest solo exhibition to date opens on the upper floors of Toranomon Hills. Built around three signature series, it turns data on space, the Earth and the city into light and moving images.

Akiko Nakayama’s Solo Exhibition “Forms of Foam” at The Museum of Art, Kochi from November 7; Her First Canvas Work, “CHROMA”

Akiko Nakayama, known for “Alive Painting,” which shows changes in liquid paint as real-time video, holds a solo exhibition at The Museum of Art, Kochi. Alongside recent works, she unveils a new work that combines oil painting with projected light.

MEET YOUR ART FESTIVAL Annex: Outdoor Exhibition by Three Artists in Yoyogi Park in December

A 24-day outdoor exhibition by three artists will be held at the Panorama Plaza in Yoyogi Park. Dan Isomura and Hiiragi Yonezawa present new works, and Shota Yamauchi stages outdoors a work that responds to visitors’ voices and movements.

“Contemporary Japanese Photography vol.23” at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum; Five Artists Who Assemble Images with Generative AI and Self-Built Devices

The 23rd edition of a series that began in 2002. Five artists, Sayuri Ichida, Taro Karibe, Zai Nomura, Baku Hashimoto and Asako Fujikura, show through 34 works how they assemble images from memory, materials and technology.

ARTE TOKYO Adds “teamLab: Hama-rikyu Gardens” for Nights at Hama-rikyu, Plus masayume and Evening Openings at 39 Museums

On October 23, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and its partners added three special programs to ARTE TOKYO. Nights at Hama-rikyu Gardens will feature a teamLab exhibition, with tickets now on sale. The core programs in Odaiba begin on November 7.

Ryoji Ikeda Wins the 9th Nam June Paik Prize: How the Biennial Prize Works, the Five Jurors and a 2027 Solo Exhibition

The ninth edition of the prize, chosen every two years by the Nam June Paik Art Center in South Korea, has gone to Ryoji Ikeda, who is based in Paris and Kyoto. The prize money is 50 million won, and he will hold a solo exhibition at the center in 2027.