Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989–2010

To commemorate the opening of Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989–2010, co-curated by the National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT) and M+, Hong Kong, the NACT hosted an artist talk featuring participating artists Morimura Yasumasa, Kazama Sachiko, Fiona Tan, and Xijing Men (Ozawa Tsuyoshi, Chen Shaoxiong, Gimhongsok) on September 13, 2025.

Following the structure of the exhibition, three artists and one artist group took the stage, representing the three chapters (curatorial lenses) of “The past is a phantom,” “Self and others,” and “A promise of community,” as well as “Introduction: A critical turn.” Yukie Kamiya, chief curator and head of curatorial division, and Jihye Yun, curator, served as navigators, guiding the discussion with each artist. This artists talk offered the opportunity to learn the background of the art-making and presentation of the exhibited works, as well as to examine what the artists experienced and practiced in reality during that era.

Archival footage is available for viewing.

Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989–2010 examines the practices of more than 50 artists from Japan and abroad. It explores both the art that emerged in Japan and how Japanese culture inspired the world between 1989, when the Shōwa era (1926–1989) ended and the Heisei era (1989–2019) began, and 2010.

Exhibition details
Title: Prism of the Real: Making Art in Japan 1989–2010
Period: Monday, September 3, 2025–Monday, December 8, 2025
Venue: The National Art Center, Tokyo, Special Exhibition Gallery 1E
Organized by: The National Art Center, Tokyo in partnership with M+, Hong Kong; Japan Arts Council; Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
Co-presented by: Nikkei Inc.
Grant from: Mondriaan Fund

Featured artists
Aida Makoto, Matthew Barney, Cai Guo-Qiang, Christo, François Curlet, Dumb Type, Fukuda Miran, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, David Hammons, Pierre Huyghe, Ishiuchi Miyako, Joan Jonas, Kasahara Emiko, Kawamata Tadashi, Kazama Sachiko, Koizumi Meiro, Lee Bul, Sharon Lockhart, Miyajima Tatsuo, Mori Mariko, Morimura Yasumasa, Murakami Takashi, Nagashima Yurie, Nakahara Kodai, Nakamura Masato, Nara Yoshitomo, Nishiyama Minako, Ohtake Shinro, Oscar Oiwa, Ozawa Tsuyoshi, Philippe Parreno, Navin Rawanchaikul, Shiga Lieko, Shimabuku, Shitamichi Motoyuki, Sone Yutaka, Simon Starling, Hito Steyerl, Thomas Struth, Tabaimo, Takamine Tadasu, Fiona Tan, Teruya Yuken, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Tsubaki Noboru, Franz West, Xijing Men, Yamashiro Chikako, Yanagi Miwa, Yanagi Yukinori, Yanobe Kenji, Yoneda Tomoko, etc., and archival materials.
Alphabetical by last name

Curatorial team
Curatorial director: Doryun Chong, artistic director and chief curator, M+
Coordinating curator: Kamiya Yukie, head, curatorial division, chief curator, the National Art Center, Tokyo
Curators: Isabella Tam, curator, visual art, M+; Jihye Yun, curator, the National Art Center, Tokyo
Curatorial assistants: Annessa Chan, curatorial assistant, M+; Izawa Takuto, assistant curator, the National Art Center, Tokyo
Exhibition advisors: Osaka Eriko, director general, the National Art Center, Tokyo; Hayashi Sumi, independent curator

Upcoming event
Symposium: Prism of the Real, 1989–2010: Tracing its spectrum in curatorial practices and art criticism today
Date: Friday, November 7, 2025, 3–5pm
With: Sunhye Cho (associate curator, Mori Art Museum), Hiroki Yamamoto (cultural studies scholar, associate professor at Jissen Women’s University), Azusa Hashimoto (curator, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; the National Museum of Art, Osaka), Doryun Chong (artistic director and chief curator, M+), Isabella Tam (curator, visual art, M+), Jihye Yun (curator, the National Art Center, Tokyo)
Interpretation: English–Japanese simultaneous interpretation available
Venue: The National Art Center, Tokyo, 3F Auditorium
Admission: Free for exhibition ticket holders