Art Fair Tokyo to Hold Video Program "FILMS" at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya
Art Fair Tokyo will host the video program "FILMS" at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya from March 12th to 15th to address the scarcity of video art exhibits.Summary
aTOKYO Corporation, the organizer of Art Fair Tokyo, announced that it will hold the video program "FILMS" at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya concurrently with the main fair, running from March 12th to 15th. This initiative addresses the extreme scarcity of video art submissions at the fair, which the organizer felt undermined its goal of providing a "fair and reliable venue for the trade of art objects." The program updates the experimental "FILMS" section first introduced in 2025, rebranding this year's iteration as "Art and Film? The Future of Video That Cannot Be Defined by Words." It will consist of on-site and web components structured around three tiers: "Viewing," "Learning," and "Buying." The on-site program at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya's 9th floor will feature screenings of about ten artists' video works alongside talk programs aimed at strengthening the "Learning" aspect. The official website will host interviews with about ten stakeholders in the field of visual expression, such as directors from Image Forum and curators from e-flux, to share perspectives on collecting and archiving video art. Program Director "non-syntax" stated that the program re-examines how video art—which inherently resists being fixed as a finished object—can be experienced, remembered, and passed on within the art market. Art Fair Tokyo CEO, Koichi Kitajima, commented that while video art is a major medium internationally, it has long lacked adequate space at Japanese art fairs. He emphasized that collecting video art is a practice of viewing art as "congealed intellect" and an affirmation of the artist's thought, asserting that the future value of art resides in this relationship, and this enhanced "FILMS" edition aims to redefine the position of video expression in Japanese art fairs.
(Source：美術手帖)