Miyazaki's First. The Door to Contemporary Art Opens. Notice of Holding 'MIYAZAKI meets Taguchi Art Collection: What is Contemporary Art?'

Exhibition Key Visual

The Taguchi Art Collection is pleased to announce the holding of "MIYAZAKI meets Taguchi Art Collection: What is Contemporary Art?" (Exhibition Period: July 11 to August 30, 2026) at the Miyazaki Prefectural Art Museum.

The exhibition activities of the Taguchi Art Collection began in 2011 with the desire to convey the "now" and the "overall picture" of the global art scene. Aiming for an international collection that gathers contemporary art from Japan and around the world, it continues its collecting activities incorporating trends in the art world today.

In conjunction with 2026 being the year of the Venice Biennale, this exhibition will focus primarily on artists and works associated with the Biennale, while also highlighting the diverse expressions of Japanese artists active globally. From a collection of over 700 pieces, approximately 70 works will be displayed, including 17 pieces being shown for the first time in a collection exhibition. By tracing the historical flow and current position of contemporary art, the content allows visitors to view the question "What is contemporary art?" from various angles and enjoy dialogues with the artworks and themselves.

Additionally, an exhibition composition that utilizes the locality of the venue and the exhibition space is one of the characteristics of our collection exhibitions. To help visitors become familiar with contemporary art while feeling a connection to the local community, we will also introduce works by artists associated with the Miyazaki Prefectural Art Museum.

Taguchi Art Collection
An art collection consisting of approximately 770 contemporary artworks from around the world (as of June 2026) collected by Hiroshi Taguchi, founder of the MISUMI Group, and his eldest daughter, Miwa. Without a specific exhibition venue, it operates to create opportunities for viewing contemporary art, especially in regions outside the Tokyo metropolitan area, through the lending out of the collection. In 2019, the Arts Plus Institute of Contemporary Arts, a general incorporated association responsible for the management and planning of the collection, was established. It has actively held exhibitions at over 10 museums domestically, developed art cards, held various workshops, and conducted a "Delivery Exhibition Business" holding mini-exhibitions at elementary and junior high schools.
https://taguchiartcollection.jp/

Participating Artists - Total 35
Satoru Aoyama | Joël Andrianomearisoa | Yusuke Asai | Miriam Cahn | Jose Dávila | Damien Hirst | Jenny Holzer | Mari Katayama | Izumi Kato | Abdoulaye Konaté | Tomoko Konoike | Yayoi Kusama | Alicja Kwade | Gonzalo Lebrija | Roy Lichtenstein | Ad Minoliti | Yasumasa Morimura | Richard Mosse | Takashi Murakami | Yoshitomo Nara | Kohei Nawa | Shinro Ohtake | Yoko Ono | Gabriel Orozco | Laure Prouvost | Elias Sime | Mika Shimauchi | Chiharu Shiota | Yutaka Sone | Hajime Sorayama | Hiraku Suzuki | Gavin Turk | Xavier Veilhan | Erwin Wurm | Lynette Yiadom-Boakye

Highlights

The Trend of Contemporary Art Seen from the Venice Biennale
Trace the transition and expansion of contemporary art through the works of artists associated with the Venice Biennale. Works by artists representing various countries and regions will be gathered, including Roy Lichtenstein, who established his international position upon participating in the Biennale, Alicja Kwade, born in Poland and based in Germany, Abdoulaye Konaté, a textile artist from the Republic of Mali, and Laure Prouvost, who represented the French Pavilion in 2019.

The "Now" and "Overall Picture" of Contemporary Art
Through a body of works spanning a wide range of eras from works in the 1970s to 2025, the current position and overall picture of contemporary art emerge. Please experience the global trends of contemporary art by touching upon the practices of artists active worldwide, such as in Ireland, Argentina, Ethiopia, Austria, Ghana, Switzerland, France, Poland, Mali, Mexico, and Madagascar.

Artists Associated with the Miyazaki Prefectural Art Museum
We will introduce works by artists who have been involved with the Miyazaki Prefectural Art Museum through lectures, art projects, and as judges, such as Yoshitomo Nara, Yasumasa Morimura, Izumi Kato, and Yusuke Asai. Being able to actually view the works of artists whose activities you have encountered so far is one of the charms of this exhibition. Additionally, please pay attention to the works of Mika Shimauchi, who is based in Miyazaki and active both domestically and internationally.

Exhibition Composition

Part 1: The Door to Contemporary Art
As an entrance to explore the answer to "What is contemporary art?", works utilizing diverse expressions, materials, and techniques will be introduced. In the open space Art Forum using marble, works by Kohei Nawa, who expands the concept of sculpture, Satoru Aoyama, who depicts modern society using industrial sewing machines, Xavier Veilhan, who engulfs viewers in a space created by polygonal composition, and Yusuke Asai, who overwhelms the space with giant installations using earth, will be lined up.

Part 2: The Grand Hall of Contemporary Art
What are the world's artists looking at and trying to convey right now? This chapter introduces the works of artists who participated in the Venice Biennale, the international festival of contemporary art. Works by artists active in various countries and regions, such as Roy Lichtenstein, Damien Hirst, Alicja Kwade, Mari Katayama, and Erwin Wurm, will gather.

Part 3: Visiting the Artists
In this chapter, we will deeply and quietly face the expressive world of each individual artist. Works by leading Japanese artists active domestically and internationally—Yoshitomo Nara, Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama, Izumi Kato, Chiharu Shiota, Yasumasa Morimura, Shinro Ohtake, Hajime Sorayama, Tomoko Konoike, Hiraku Suzuki, and Mika Shimauchi—will be introduced.

Related Events
Commemorative Talk Show: "The Significance of International Art Festivals and the Activities of Japanese Artists"
Lecturers: Miwa Taguchi (Co-Representative of Taguchi Art Collection), Masashi Shiobara