101TOKYO Contemporary Art Fair 2009

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Welcome to 101 Tokyo Contemporary Art Fair 2009

FINAL REPORT ON 101TOKYO CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR 2009

TOKYO, Japan / May 22, 2009

The 101TOKYO Contemporary Art Fair is pleased
to announce that in its second year the fair was attended by more than
5,000 visitors, with more than 500 VIPs and collectors at the opening
party. The 101QUESTIONS panel discussion series was very well
received, with most talks enjoying a standing-room only crowd. Photos
of the opening, performances and 101QUESTIONS can be currently be
found on 101TOKYO's Flickr stream: www.flickr.com/photos/101tokyo/

Given the current economic climate, galleries said that their business
was slower than the previous year, but many have reported that in the
weeks following the fair they have made sales due to contacts they
made and publicity they received from participating in 101TOKYO 2009.
Gallerists also said they were pleased with the production of the fair
and service provided during the event.

Matsuo Megumi of MATSUO MEGUMI + VOICE GALLERY pfs/w in Kyoto said
that ''Thanks to the talk show series and performances, the fair was
very exciting and had a good atmosphere. Hospitality for galleries was
excellent and accessibility to the venue was very high regarding
access by train, parking spaces, and for installation/de-installation
of artworks.''

"As an exhibitor, it was first time to join in this year, we really enjoyed
the fair as a supporter of artist shown in last year's and also as a
visitor," said Erika Matsushima of CASHI, which was newly opened lasy
year in Bakurocho, Tokyo. "It is said that a cultural event such as an art
fair gets tough in its second year. You need to improve quality of
programs, PR, attracting guests, and at the same time trim the fat. So in
that sense, as an exhibitor and also as a visitor, this year's 101TOKYO
was very satisfying for its venue, gallery booth and public programs, etc."

''We exhibited six works by Billie Zangewa and sold four thanks to the
publicity of Afronova's presence at 101 Tokyo through our mailing
list,'' said Emilie Demon of Johannesburg's Afronova gallery, which
has now participarted 101TOKYO two years in a row. ''Altogether, the
quality of the fair was better than in 2008, so we had better value
for money and an exciting time in Tokyo.''

''101TOKYO has provided a great level of service,'' said Andrew James
of Andrew James Art from Shanghai. ''We believe that Japan is
important to the art market in Asia and plan to return next year.''

Collectors responded positively to the presentation of the galleries
and the special artists projects, and have followed up with gallerists
that they met during 101TOKYO 2009.

''It was easy to talk to gallery owners at 101TOKYO and form a deeper
understanding each gallery, and feel their enthusiasm and challenging
spirit,'' said collector Masaru Nishiyama. ''It was also nice to see
galleries, events, and lectures all together. I hope that 101TOKYO
will keep up this level of quality in the future.''

''Visiting the 101TOKYO Contemporary Art Fair as a newcomer to
Tokyo's art and gallery scene, it provided me with a comprehensive over all
view of what is going on in the young generation of artists and
gallery owners,'' said art historian Albrecht Mai. ''The approach of
the initiators of the 101TOKYO toward not yet established artists and
their galleries is very refreshing as the quality of the art exhibited
was high through out. The 101TOKYO fair turns out to be an important
meeting place for Tokyo's up and coming international art scene.''

''The fair was very good experience for me, and it was my pleasure to
work with the 101TOKYO team,'' said Yukari Atami of Gallery Terra
Tokyo. ''The design of art fair site was very nice, and people who I
first met at 101 came to Terra's reception for Ruud van Empel, so that
was a very good response for the gallery.''

The 101QUESTIONS panel discussions, videos of which will be uploaded
to Youtube.com, addressed issues concerning contemporary arts such as:
how do you build a thriving art community?; how do art practices
differ between Japan and other countries?; and how do you determine
what is and what isn't contemporary art? Many considered the talks one
of the high points of the fair, and thought that they offered an
important service to the Tokyo arts community.

''Art fairs have been expanding in Tokyo -- at the moment not as much
in terms of market and sales, but more in terms of their role in the
local art scene. Fairs are not only for commerce but for encountering
unknowns, developing networks and even more so for diverse instigating
discourse on issues around contemporary art in an intensive few
days,'' said Mami Kataoka, a 101TOKYO Selection Committee member and
Senior Curator at the Mori Art Museum/International Curator at The
Hawyard Gallery in London. ''In this sense, art is something that
gives us diverse insights into society, not a homogenized,
single-sided view. A city like Tokyo needs more than one art fair -- I
think 101TOKYO did a great job this year in this economical climate
and anticipate its development even further in coming years.''

''Looking at the fair, it was very well organized and thought out in a
short period of time. The proximity to Akihabara Station, the size of
the venue, and the layout of the booths were all very good,'' said
Sueo Mizuma, Director of Mizuma Art Gallery, who participated in a
101QUESTIONS panel on the importance of art fairs to Asia. ''I had a
favorable impression as 101TOKYO was dedicated only to the exhibition
of contemporary art -- in my opinion, in the long run, art fairs need
to concentrate on one thing. As well, my fellow panel members
recognized that the themes of the 101QUESTIONS program, which provided
simultaneous translation, were interesting to people over a wide range of genres.''

''Tokyo welcomes more creative platforms that encourage and support
challenging activities to create new horizons. 101TOKYO is an art fair
made by creative people, and initiatives by such collectives of
creative people are strongly needed here,'' said Yusaku Imamura, the
Counselor on Special Issues to the Governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan
Government and Director of Tokyo Wonder Site; Imamura participated in
the 101QUESTIONS panel on What can we do better: Ways and challenges
of supporting the arts. ''Creativity is a foundation of our life, not
an additive,'' he continued. ''I hope 101TOKYO will grow more
creative, improve our interconnections with the world and encourage
more experimental challenges.''

Also popular was the 101TOKYO Gallery, which featured works from
galleries such as Tomio Koyama, Gallery Koyanagi and Taka Ishii. The
space was conceived as a place where large works such as those from
Shintaro Miyake and Cerith Wynn Evans could be shown in a fair
environment.

''It was great to see in the 101TOKYO Gallery such huge works that
would be too big for ordinary booths,'' said Sato Junya, a panelist on
101QUESTIONS and a member of BOICE PLANNING, who performed at
101TOKYO 2008. ''They helped to scale up the entire fair.''

''I am impressed that 101TOKYO created such an event,'' said Masashi
Shiobara, President of Art Office Shiobara. ''All the staff of
101TOKYO were very enthusiastic, and I believe that by gathering a
little cooperation from many people, this will really make things
happen. The most important thing is to continue.''