Rediscover Japan - Kaikai Kiki Announces GEISAI # 12

GEISAI 11, Photo credit: Hitoshi Makanai. Courtesy of Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd.

Tokyo Big Sight, East Hall

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Kaikai Kiki announces GEISAI #12, the one-of-a-kind art fair conceived by Takashi Murakami, which 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. 

A jury of creative professionals has been invited based on the theme “Rediscover Japan”. Over the course of the day, they will inspect over 1,000 artists’ booths, awarding gold, silver, and bronze prizes, along with awards for personal favorites.

GEISAI # 12  Jury

Makoto Aida (Artist) Primarily a painter, Makoto Aida has also applied his artistic practice to several other fields, including photography, sculpture, performance, installation, novels, manga, and even city planning. 

Yasushi Akimoto (Lyricist) Akimoto has achieved success as a hit songwriter, television producer, film director, radio DJ, and newspaper and magazine columnist.  He is the producer and manager of the pop idol groups AKB48 and SKE48. 

Kazumi Sakata (Antique store owner) Sakata is the founder of “as it is”, a Yoshifumi Nakamura-designed museum located in Chonan-machi, Chosei-gun, Chiba-prefecture that opened in 1994. He is currently the owner of the Furudogu Sakata antique store.  

Hiroshi Yamamoto (Animation producer/director) After producing the series, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Yamamoto undertook film direction for the first time with his 2007 Lucky Star. He subsequently established an independent animation production studio called Ordet where he has recently released the anime feature Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens.

Lily Franky (Illustrator) Primarily an illustrator, Franky is also active in writing (essays, columns, novels), photography, design, songwriting and musical production.  

GEISAI has launched the career of many creators, including award recipients who have gone on to show in galleries and institutions throughout the world, and in some cases have become members of the Kaikai Kiki studio.

In this occasion, the School Festival Executive Committee, a celebration of the otaku subculture that debuted at GEISAI #11 last September, will return re-fitted as a spectacular stage show featuring a live performance by pop star Ayumi Nakamura. Additional surprise performances will be announced on the day of the fair.  

For further information visit, www.us.geisai.net