Regarding participation in "ART FAIR ASIA FUKUOKA 2025" (updated 9/17)

Contemporary art gallery "YUGEN Gallery (operated by Gene Co., Ltd.)" will be exhibiting at "ART FAIR ASIA FUKUOKA 2025" (AFAF2025), which will be held in Fukuoka from Friday, September 26th to Sunday, September 28th, 2025.

AFAF has been held in Fukuoka since 2015 and is Japan's only art fair with an "Asia" concept. It continues to grow as a platform connecting the Asian contemporary art scene, and this year marks its milestone 10th anniversary. Based in Fukuoka, a city where diverse cultures intersect, the fair brings together many leading galleries and artists from Japan and abroad, attracting international attention.

In September 2024, YUGEN Gallery will open its second gallery in Tenjin, Fukuoka, following its location in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo. With this, the gallery will continue to further strengthen its support and dissemination of artists' activities across regions and cultural backgrounds, with the two major cities of Tokyo and Fukuoka as its base. In the same year that the Fukuoka location was launched, the gallery exhibited for the first time at ART FAIR ASIA FUKUOKA 2024, and this year's event in 2025 will mark its second consecutive year of participation.

YUGEN Gallery has been introducing the depth, sublimity, elegance, and grace inherent in "Yugen," a uniquely Japanese aesthetic, through contemporary art. Based on this philosophy, this fair will introduce local artists and contemporary artists who embody the spirituality of Yugen.

The participating artists are Nishimoto Yuki, Yamamoto Hisashi, Matsuda Keisuke, Tanaka Takeshu, Sakaki Kimi, and Nasu Keiko. Works by these six unique artists will be exhibited together, allowing you to see their unique worlds of expression.

Yuki Nishimoto, who is active both in Japan and abroad, will be showcasing his innovative "ink painting" style, which combines ink painting and ceramics, in a solo exhibition featuring high-resolution giclee reproductions of original artworks that are not normally exhibited. Hisashi Yamamoto and Takeshu Tanaka are garnering attention as pioneers of "ART SHODO," a movement that expands the spirit of calligraphy into the modern era and presents new possibilities for letters, lines, and space. Keisuke Matsuda's abstract work, which moves back and forth between reality and the inner self, presents painting as a "process" rather than a "result," and depicts the intersection of thought and body. Kimi Sakaki uses the symbolic presence of "children" to express a unique world where cuteness and mystery overlap. Furthermore, Keiko Nasu's profound abstract work, layering watercolors and acrylics, reflects the richness of complex life.

The intersection of the works of six artists with different genres and themes gives rise to unexpected sensations and perspectives. This exhibition space encourages viewers to make new discoveries, and YUGEN Gallery will use this to illustrate the breadth and possibilities of contemporary art.

All exhibited works will be available for purchase at the venue and online from the VIP preview on Thursday, September 25th.

ART FAIR ASIA FUKUOKA 2025 Event Overview

■ Dates: Friday, September 26, 2025 – Sunday, September 28, 2025
■ Venue: Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall B (2-1 Okihama-cho, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture)
■ Event time: September 25th (Thu) 13:00 – 19:00 *VIP View
Friday, September 26th, 11:00 – 19:00
Saturday, September 27th 11:00 – 19:00
September 28th (Sun) 11:00 – 18:00
■ Official website: https://artfair.asia/

Takami Sakaki

Kimi Sakaki

The beauty and harshness of nature, the air, sounds, and time that flow through it, and the everyday things that surround us. The boundaries that exist around us, and the many stories we listen to before going to bed. I spent my childhood enjoying the sensation of various things resonating and blending together. He depicts the existence (icon) of "children" along with various other things as vessels of expression, mirror-like devices. He has had numerous exhibitions both in Japan and overseas. In addition to presenting his own works, he also formed the creative unit S+N laboratory, which mainly produces participatory art works.

To the artist page

Takeshi Tanaka

Gakushu Tanaka

Born in Fukuoka in 1990. He started calligraphy because he was left-handed, and while being influenced by traditional and avant-garde calligraphy, he is exploring "things made of calligraphy" in a modern way. He also develops works based on architectural drawings and smartphone cameras. His main exhibitions include "ART SHODO EDGE" (2023), "Planning #2", "GENGO Exhibition" (2024), and "Congentecton" (2025).

To the artist page

Keiko Nasu

An abstract artist who has exhibited abstract paintings at exhibitions both in Japan and overseas, and is also active in advertising and magazines. Representative works include background paintings and appearances for Roppongi Kabuki, Starflyer, department stores, and cosmetics companies.

To the artist page

Yuki Nishimoto

Sumi-e artist. Born in 1988 in Kagoshima Prefecture. Belongs to Jennyette LLC. Creates works that pursue "dynamism" and "strength" with a bold yet delicate touch. In 2012, he won the World Best Work Award for "EMBRACING OUR DIFFERENCES" in the US. Since then, he has been active both in Japan and abroad, performing live painting in Hong Kong, China, and other places. He has been active in a wide range of fields, including creating a mural at Fukuoka Airport, winning three awards at the advertising award "Clio Entertainment," designing collaborative T-shirts, the cover of the Defense White Paper, and background footage for the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen. He currently bases his creative activities in Fukuoka and Fukui.

To the artist page

Keisuke Matsuda

Born in Gunma Prefecture in 1984. Lives in Kyoto Prefecture. 2009 Graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts Graduate School of Fine Arts, Department of Oil Painting Exhibition 2024 Transmutation/eN arts Kyoto 2022 Shifted Traces/ya-gins Gunma 2021 The abandoned consciousness hits the eyes/See Saw gallery+hibit Aichi 2019 Direct Analogy/2kw Gallery Shiga 2017 VOCA: Perspectives on Contemporary Art - New Artists of Plane/Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo 2014 STABILIZATION 2/Tokyo Wonder Site Shibuya 2009 Art Award Tokyo 2009/Marunouchi, Tokyo

To the artist page

Hisashi Yamamoto

Calligrapher and artist. Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1969, where he currently resides. After working on the production of the Yuichi Inoue catalogue raisonné, he held his first solo exhibition in 2015. He has published two collections, "Fune" (2016) and "Ugokuki" (2024). He continues to actively participate in exhibitions and art fairs both in Japan and abroad. His main collection is at the Taoyuan Museum of Art.

To the artist page