Richmond BC, Canada #richmondartgallerybc
Guest curated by Makiko Hara, independent curator and Nozomu Ogawa, Director of Ongoing Association
Ongoing Pacific Crossings is the culmination of a seven–year cultural exchange between Tokyo’s Art Center Ongoing (ACO), Richmond Art Gallery, and guest curator Makiko Hara. Since 2019, the partners have facilitated sustained exchanges between Vancouver– and Tokyo–based artists and curators, fostering long–term dialogue and collaboration. This exhibition will showcase works by Japanese artists affiliated with ACO, alongside Canadian artists who completed residency exchanges at ACO in Tokyo over the past seven years.
Art Center Ongoing, an arts complex operated by the Ongoing Association in Kichijoji, Tokyo, has been a key platform for alternative and experimental practices since 2008, pioneering new directions in Japanese contemporary art and leading international exchange initiatives across Asia and Europe. This summer, artists from ACO will travel to Canada to create site–specific installations, performances, and community–engaged projects developed in response to Richmond and Vancouver’s vibrant Japanese cultural presence. The exhibition will feature artists—Yusuke Shibata, Shiho Togabu, Mineki Murata, Makiko Aoki, and Haruka Saito, among others. Together, the artists represent a wide range of contemporary practices including drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, performance, and video.
A dedicated screening room will accompany the exhibition, presenting video works by additional Japanese artists such as Maiko Jinushi, Masahiro Wada, Takuro Kotaka, Kent Nito, Atsushi Yamamoto, and others, further expanding the project’s engagement with current Japanese artistic expression. The videos integrate elements of performance that connect with the works displayed in the Gallery.
