GO FOR KOGEI is a project dedicated to promoting new perspectives on craft from Hokuriku, a region with a long history of craftsmanship. Since its inception in 2020, the project has organized exhibitions and events at shrines, temples, and in areas that embody the region’s history and climate, as well as conferences to enrich the discourse on today’s issues and possibilities surrounding craft.
The term kogei (pronounced ko-gay), which could be translated as “craft” or “applied arts,” emerged in Japan in the late nineteenth century during its modernization and Westernization. Before that period, Japanese culture did not distinguish between “fine art” and “craft.” Rather, aesthetic objects and the practices of making them were understood as part of a single, broader tradition.
In addition to the festival in Japan, GO FOR KOGEI is broadening the scope of its activities overseas. An international symposium was held in collaboration with the Victoria & Albert Museum in London in July, 2025 and a special exhibition is scheduled to be held from October, 2025 in response to an invitation from the Tainan City Art Museum in Taiwan.
