The festival “DESIGNART TOKYO 2023,” a well-established fall event in Tokyo, that allowed people to experience art and design in the city, was held from October 20th to 29th. As the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have settled down and the crowds have gradually returned, 108 exhibitions in about 83 venues participated in this 7th anniversary year event. A total of approximately 214,500 people visited during the ten day exhibition.

Information Center and Official Car CROWN “SPORT” (World Kita-Aoyama Building) © Nacása & Partners

DESIGNART TOKYO is a project launched in 2017 by five groups, including six active founders who are active in various fields with the aim of transmitting and industrializing creativity from Tokyo. They aim to transmit and industrialize creativity from all over the world into Tokyo, being one of the world’s leading mixed-culture cities, through art and design (architecture, interior design, products, fashion, technology, etc.). Unique presentations take place in a variety of places, such as shops and galleries, which ignites an innovative attempt. This year’s theme was “Sparks -Freeing Your Thoughts”.

ASIA CREATIVE RELATION powered by THE LIONS “A New Horizon” Exhibition, Information Center (World Kita-Aoyama Building) © Nacása & Partners

The World Kita-Aoyama Building serves as the information center, and welcomes a large number of visitors annually. This year, invite Suzy Annetta, Founding Editor-in-Chief of Design Anthology, was invited as a guest curator, as well as space designer Kentaro Ishida who collaborated with Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron for the special exhibit called “A New Horizon”. It showcased contemporary design from East Asia.

ASIA CREATIVE RELATION powered by THE LIONS “A New Horizon” Exhibition, Crest and Trough by Dongwook Choi, Information Center (World Kita-Aoyama Building) © Nacása & Partners

Illustrating contemporary works by designers originating from across East Asia – Japan, South Korea, Mainland China and Taiwan – A New Horizon looked at future trends in design and contemporary lifestyles. Curator Suzy Annetta divided the works into four categories that represented the potentiality of our future lifestyles – the what, how and why of objects we choose to live with. These chapters, entitled Biomorphism, Upcycled, New Belle Epoque and Future Traditions, naturally revealed themselves during the curatorial process, implying that these themes were present in existing works, and not externally imposed.