Regarding participation in "IWATAYA Life with Art" 2026

Contemporary art gallery "YUGEN Gallery" (operated by Gene Co., Ltd.) is pleased to announce its participation in "IWATAYA Life with Art," held at Iwataya Main Store in Fukuoka from Friday, September 25 to Monday, September 28, 2026. This marks our second consecutive year exhibiting at the event.

"IWATAYA Life with Art" is a major art project that has been hosted at Iwataya, Fukuoka, since 2022. It aims to engage people's sensibilities through art, proposing the richness of incorporating art into daily life and life itself. During the event, artists and galleries active primarily in Kyushu and across Asia will participate, promoting a new daily life enriched by art through a variety of works and events.

YUGEN Gallery will be presenting works by Yoichiro Otani and sion. This exhibition is linked to our exhibition "After Words, Beyond Meaning," being held simultaneously at YUGEN Gallery FUKUOKA, and aims to explore the relationship between "words" and "images" across both venues.

We understand the world through words and grasp it through the images born from them.
Yoichiro Otani unfolds images derived from the shapes, sounds, and meanings of characters onto the canvas as visual poetry made of kanji.

sion, building on the foundation of calligraphy, incorporates neon, LED, and everyday objects to bring to light the "discrepancies" that arise between language and reality.

Through their distinct expressions, we turn our attention to the relationship born between words and images, and the ways meaning expands from that space. We invite you to visit both Iwataya Main Store and YUGEN Gallery FUKUOKA to enjoy the connection between the works and the breadth of expression developed at each location.

The event coincides with Fukuoka Art Week, a period when the entire city is wrapped in art and one can enjoy the diverse art experiences unique to Fukuoka. We sincerely look forward to seeing you at this event that colors the Fukuoka art scene. We hope you will look forward to it.

IWATAYA Life with Art Event Overview

■ Dates: September 25 (Fri) – September 28 (Mon), 2026

■ Hours: 10:00 – 19:00

　　　　　*Closes at 17:00 on the final day, September 28 (Mon)
■ Venue: Iwataya Main Store, Main Building 7F Exhibition Hall / Main Building 2F Gallery CONTAINER

■ Address: 2-5-35 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City

■ Admission: Free

Linked Exhibition "After Words, Beyond Meaning" Overview

■ Dates: September 11 (Fri) – October 4 (Sun), 2026

■ Artist Attendance: TBD

■ Hours: 11:00 – 19:00

　　　　　 *Closes at 17:00 on the final day

■ Closed: Tuesdays

■ Venue: YUGEN Gallery FUKUOKA

■ Address: Stage 1 Nishi-dori 4F, 2-1-4 Daimyo, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture

■ Admission: Free

*The artist attendance schedule will be updated as soon as it is decided. Please check the gallery's Instagram for the latest information.

Purchasing Artworks

Concurrent with the event, artworks will be available for viewing and purchase through the official YUGEN Gallery online store for the duration of the event period.

Yoichiro Otani

Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1990. Completed the doctoral program in Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts. During his studies, he participated in an exchange program at Tsinghua University. He received the Salon de Printemps Award for his graduation work "ki" and the Nomura Art Award for "ki/u." He explores new contexts and poetic imagery emerging from the intersection of form, sound, and meaning, by superimposing the inherent chains between characters onto the rhythms of all creation.

To the artist page

Shion

Calligrapher and linguistic artist. Based on classical calligraphy, she creates works using text and language as material, traversing various media such as handwriting, fonts, and ready-made objects. She reconstructs the relationship between words and matter, meaning and visual perception, exploring new possibilities for "sho" (calligraphy) from a unique perspective that oscillates between tradition and modernity.

To the artist page