CURRENT & UPCOMING

Art Incubation Series 20 | Juried Open Call
STEPPING INTO A WORLD VI

Artists:
[Grand Prize] Elee Danny
[First Runner-Up] Asami Moriya | Jun Kawamura
[Second Runner-Up] Herocca | John | Nori | RYU YOKOYAMA | SACHIKO KODA | Shinji Yamakawa | Toko Idetsuki | Yoshie Hughes | Yufuko Katahira | Yumi Hotta
[Honorable Mention] arisa | KEIKO SODA | Kota Shimizu | Lemurian Mermaid NOZOMI | MAIKA | MIKI KAWAZU | nameless weed | Natsumi | nemu | norihiko kuroda | PADDLE | pirogasu | SEIKO Ishimatsu | SUMIKO TABATA | TAKAMOSO PIROMI | takehisa TR okade | tomoss. | TSUKASA WAKIKAWA | YASDA | YASUKO AIDA | YOSHIDA HIRO | YOSHIE ASAOKA | YOSHIKO KAWASHIMA | YUKARI MATSUDA | Yuichi Nakano
[Guests | NY Front Runners ] Bipasha Hayat | Javier García Sánchez | Kaiser Kamal | Xin Song

“Stepping Into A World VI” marks the 20th installment of an exhibition series launched in 2023 by Emmy Award–winning TV writer Motoichi Adachi and New York–based curator Kyoko Sato, known for her work promoting Japaneseculture. The exhibition presents works by artists selected through an open call.

This series showcases 38 artists—primarily active in Japan—who create compelling works unconstrained by genre or background, bringing them into the forefront of the global art scene. It also features guest exhibitions by leading artists who are based in New York and active internationally, fostering meaningful exchanges and mutual inspiration. The series has become increasingly international, and this year, Elee Danny from Korea won the Grand Prize.

In addition, this January will see the opening of Series 21: “The Art of SHO III” (20 artists), a calligraphy-themed exhibition; Series 22, the most casual art-incubation edition (Gallery 60NYC, 5 artists); and Series 23: “100 Artists of the World V,” which will utilize the large digital screens in Times Square (1530 Broadway between 44th–45th Street or 3 Times Square, featuring 6 artists). Together, these exhibitions will once again bring a powerful wave of Japanese art to New York this winter.

Up to the 19 installment in April 2025, the series has already introduced about 250 Japanese artists. Furthermore, morethan 25 artists have been taken up by New York galleries after the exhibitions. With this winter 2026 installment, an additional 68 artists are scheduled to be introduced, sending many artists into the New York art scene.

The judges for the open call are Dr. Les Joynes (Columbia University Research Scholar, Curator), Taisuke Morishita (Artist, Art critic, Curator), Motoichi Adachi (Emmy Award-winning TV writer), and Kyoko Sato (Curator).

Art Incubation Series 21 | Juried Open Call
THE ART OF SHO III

Artists:
[Grand Prize] Marc Kaigetsu
[First Runner-Up] MAKO ISHIHARA | MASUMI-KUNIYOSHI
[Second Runner-Up] Byakuen | chikako | Mikoto SATOHIRA | MOCA | SHINSHO NISHIMURA | Saika Matsumoto |TOSHIHIKO SHIMIZU
[Honorable Mention] AYAKA HORI | FUDESHI Shontaro | Kayo Ozawa | Kinuko Hatsumi | Kotonoha Tsumugi(Akken) | KOZUI SHIGA | Niwa Ryokuhu | Meisui Hatano | Ryukin
[Guests | NY Front Runners ] Bipasha Hayat | Javier García Sánchez | Kaiser Kamal | Xin Song

The new series exhibition "Art of Sho III" is the 21st installment of a series of exhibitions (formerly known as Japan Contemporaries Series) that began in 2023, organized by Emmy Award-winning TV writer Motoichi Adachi and New York-based curator Kyoko Sato, known for introducing Japanese culture. The exhibition focuses on the theme of "Sho" (Japanese calligraphy) and features works by 20 artists selected through an open call and juried process. This series highlights interesting works by artists mainly active in Japan, regardless of genre or background, introducing them to the cutting-edge global art scene. It also includes leading figures based in New York who are active worldwide, facilitating effective exchanges and mutual inspiration.

The exhibition series has continued since last year with "Stepping Into A World VI" (Series 20, featuring 38 artists), as well as the more casual “Art Incubation Series 22, Gallery 60NYC, featuring 5 Japanese artists, and "100 Artists of the World" (Series 23, showcasing 6 artists on the large screen in Times Square, 1530 Broadway between 44th adn 45th Street / or 3 Times Square). Together, these 4 projects will create a wave of Japanese art in New York this winter again.

The judges for the open call are Dr. Les Joynes (Columbia University Research Scholar, Curator), Jason Patrick Voegele (Curator, writer, art consultant), Motoichi Adachi (Emmy Award-winning TV writer), and Kyoko Sato (Curator). In this series, up until the 19th installment in April 2025, we have already introduced about 250 Japanese artists. Furthermore, over 25 of these artists have since been exhibited in other galleries in New York. This spring, we plan to introduce an additional 68 artists, bringing many more outstanding Japanese artists into the New York art scene.