GEISAI #11
The Artist-run Art Fair
Returns to Tokyo for its
Largest Edition to Date
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Tokyo Big Sight West Hall 1 & 2
www.geisai11.us
english.kaikaikiki.co.jp
Kaikai Kiki announces GEISAI #11, the one-of-a-kind art fair conceived by Takashi Murakami, which will be held on Sunday, September 14, 2008 at Tokyo Big Sight ( www.bigsight.jp/english ), from 10 am to 6 pm. GEISAI differs from typical art fairs in that it allows artists to represent themselves and present their work directly to an audience of collectors, art professionals and art enthusiasts in a professional art fair setting. Booth registration for GEISAI #11 was available online on a first-come-first-serve basis to artists of all nationalities, with no restriction on medium.
GEISAI’s return to Tokyo this fall follows its American debut in Miami last December that coincided with Art Basel Miami Beach, where it received much critical acclaim, and GEISAI Museum 2, a twist on GEISAI where artists are assigned individual numerical ratings that took place in Tokyo in May. GEISAI #11 will be significantly larger than all previous editions, offering space for one thousand exhibitors in individual booths. On the day of the event, art works will be selected by a jury of international art professionals, who will then award medals to several participants.
This year GEISAI will be judged by one of its most prestigious juries to date, including Jack Bankowsky, Editor-at-Large, Artforum; Alison Gingeras, Chief Curator, the Pinault Collection; Carol Yinghua Lu, Independent curator and art writer; Philippe Segalot, Art Advisor, Giraud.Pissarro.Ségalot; and Marc-Olivier Wahler, Director, Palais de Tokyo, Site de Creation Contemporaine, Paris.
GEISAI #11 will also feature a special celebration of the unique subcultures that grew from Tokyo’s Akihabara district, which have proven influential in many of the exhibitor’s works, and are enjoyed throughout the world. As part of this celebration, GEISAI #11 will debut a special festival space featuring working shops inspired by those in Akihabara, and special surprise performances.
GEISAI #11 will be followed by the second edition of GEISAI Miami, which will once again be hosted by PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, and take place in the Wynwood Art District, December 2008, coinciding with Art Basel Miami Beach.
About GEISAI:
Since its inception in 2001 in Japan, GEISAI has traditionally been held twice a year in Tokyo, and made its debut in Miami in December 2007. By presenting a new art-collecting concept, allowing artists to exhibit their work directly, without a commercial gallery, to an audience of collectors, curators and art enthusiasts, GEISAI has established itself as an exceptional art fair platform. The name “GEISAI” is derived from the Japanese word for “art festival.” Such festivals would typically take place within a university or an art school.
About Kaikai Kiki:
The artist-led art enterprise Kaikai Kiki was founded by Takashi Murakami in 2001, and evolved from its predecessor, the Hiropon Factory. Its goals as an enterprise include the production and promotion of artwork, the management and support of select artists, general management of events and projects, and the production and promotion of merchandise. With bases in Japan’s Motoazabu, Tokyo (head office); Iruma, Saitama (studio); and in Long Island City, New York, Kaikai Kiki is a unique organization looking to the future to broaden the horizons and practices of contemporary art.
For more information on Kaikai Kiki, please visit english.kaikaikiki.co.jp/
For more information and updates on GEISAI#11, please visit www.geisai11.us
Media Contact
For further information, images and interviews please contact:
Andy Cushman or Elizabeth Reina
Blue Medium, Inc.
T: 212-675-1800
F: 212-675-1855
E: andy@bluemedium.com
