'NCAR x AWARE Women Artists Research Fellowship' 2026 (1st Edition) Fellows Selected: Nodoka Odawara and Yuri Yamada

The National Center for Art Research (Abbreviation: NCAR, Director: Masayuki Tanaka) and AWARE: Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions, Centre Pompidou (Director: Camille Morineau), announced the selection of Nodoka Odawara and Yuri Yamada as the 2026 (1st edition) fellows for the "NCAR x AWARE Women Artists Research Fellowship," a joint initiative launched in December 2025. The announcement of the selected fellows and their research topics was made on April 15, 2026, at the Institut français de Tokyo. Scene from the announcement presentation of the NCAR x AWARE Women Artists Research Fellowship selected fellows. Ms. Odawara focuses her research on two female sculptors from Okayama: Toko Kuhara (1906-1994) and Kameno Ota (1903-1986). She sheds light on the activities of female sculptors in modern Japan, who have been marginalized until now, and re-examines art history alongside region-specific history by focusing on the institutional and social constraints they faced. Ms. Yamada aims to organize the current state of evaluation and research on female photographers who were active mainly from the Meiji period to the early Showa period through exhibitions and literature reviews. Furthermore, through the study of primary materials focusing on Ryu Shima, Yoshino Hanawa, and Kotome Yamamoto as main case studies, she will clarify the role that the photographic practices of female photographers played in the formation of modern Japan's photographic culture. This fellowship is intended for researchers, curators, and others residing or staying in Japan, and it supports research on female artists (artists whose gender identity is female or non-binary) who are active in the visual arts field and have ties to Japan. During the one-year research period, research funds of up to 5,000 euros will be provided. The research results are scheduled to be published on the official websites of NCAR and AWARE from the summer of 2027 onwards. Through this fellowship, NCAR and AWARE aim to further revitalize research on women artists in Japan while contributing to the formation of an international research foundation and the promotion of cultural diversity. Profiles of the 2026 Fellowship Fellows Nodoka Odawara Sculptor, critic. Head of a publishing house. Ph.D. in Art. Born in Miyagi Prefecture in 1985. Major solo exhibitions include Aomori Contemporary Art Centre [ACAC], Tsunagi Art Museum (Kumamoto), and Sugimura Jun Museum of Art, Shiogama City. Received the Miyagi Prefecture Arts Encouragement Newcomer Award in 2024. Major single-authored books include "Sculpting/Overcoming Modernity" (Kodansha) and "Principles of Monuments: Sculpture as an Ideological Issue" (Seidosha). Co-edited books include "The Art of This Country (Modern Japan): De-imperializing " (co-edited with Hiroki Yamamoto, Getsuyosha). Member of the Expression Site Investigation Group, faculty member at Yokohama National University. Yuri Yamada Curator at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum. Area of expertise is modern and contemporary photography history. Assumed her current position after serving as a curator at the IZU PHOTO MUSEUM. Major planned exhibitions include "Fiona Tan: Ascent" (2016), "Memories Permeate the Earth and Cross the Wind: Japan's Emerging Artists vol.18" (2021), "Seiichi Motohashi and Robert Doisneau: Intersecting Stories" (2023), and "Luigi Ghirri: The Unending Landscape" (2025). Also co-curated "About Love: Asian Contemporary" (2018) with Michiko Kasahara, and "Reversible Future: Contemporary Photography from Japan and Australia" (2021) with Natalie King. List of 2026 Selection Committee Members and Comment from the Chair (Titles omitted, in Japanese alphabetical order; affiliations are as of the selection committee meeting) Selection Committee Members Marina Amada (AWARE Japan Representative, Curator) Shogo Otani (NCAR Artwork Utilization Promotion Group Leader, Deputy Director of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) Reiko Kokatsu (Art History, Art Criticism) Akira Tatehata (Director of the Yayoi Kusama Museum) Keiko Nakamachi (Professor Emeritus of Jissen Women's University, Specially Appointed Director of the Akita Museum of Modern Art) Ryoko Mizuno (Associate Professor, Department of International Culture, Faculty of International Culture, Japan Women's University) [Comment from Selection Committee Chair Nakamachi] "The 19 submitted research proposals covered a wide variety of genres, the applicants' nationalities were diverse, and many unique research methods were observed. The screening was conducted strictly based on the points listed under 'Selection Method' in the 'Application Guidelines'. We placed importance on track records and preparation status sufficient to carry out the supported research in order to achieve corresponding results in a short period. For the next round, we anticipate robust challenges targeting periods prior to the modern era."