Art Fair Tokyo started on Friday. More than 130 galleries are exhibiting in Tokyo International Forum, a glass building convention center in Yurakucho. It is the biggest art fair of the kind in Japan and most galleries are from Tokyo.
Despite the fact that it was a windy weekday afternoon, the site was full of people looking for art for them to enjoy. It was surprising because when I visit art galleries in Tokyo, I usually find very few visitors except myself. What I mean by "galleries" are spaces selling art works, and not museums that charge admission fees. Such museums are always crowded, often over-crowded, but art galleries that are free to walk in are almost always quiet. It is an indication that in Japan people enjoy art more as thing to see than as thing to own.
However, look at the crowd. Art market does exist here. I heard that many good pieces had already been sold to invited guests on the pre-opening day, but I felt the art fair was more popularized than last year with new good contemporary artists appealing to new art collectors. The overall quality seemed to have gotten more competitive.
If you are to go art buying in Japan, taking time to visit galleries and evaluating art pieces in serene atmosphere would be another nice way.
(For arranging gallery-visits or any art-themed tours in Japan, please contact us through our website http://www.cognoscenti.jp )
