Jean Jullien

Visual artist
After graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2008, Jean Jullien obtained a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in 2010. As an illustrator, he has provided works to a wide range of clients including the New York Times, National Geographic, RCA Records, Le Centre Pompidou, Hermès, Petit Bateau, and Vogue. He has also been active in the production of paintings, and has held exhibitions in San Francisco, London, Berlin, Singapore, and other locations worldwide. His inspirations include numerous works of Japanese manga including Saint Seiya, Dragonball, and City Hunter, as well as the French manga works known as bande dessinee, the French poster artist Raymond Savignac, children’s book author Tomi Ungerer, and illustrator and manga artist Jean-Jacques Sempé. His wit-filled works are not limited by the concepts of fine art, and are born from a richly natural creativity.

Kohei Nawa

Sculptor / director of Sandwich Inc. / professor at Kyoto University of the Arts
Born in 1975, and based in Kyoto, Japan, Kohei Nawa received a PhD in Fine Art/Sculpture from Kyoto City University of Arts in 2003, and established SANDWICH in 2009. Focusing on the surface “skin” of sculpture as an interface connecting to the senses, Nawa began his PixCell series in 2002 based on the concept of the cell, symbolizing the information age. Adopting a flexible interpretation of the meaning of sculpture, he produces perceptual experiences that reveal the physical properties of materials to the viewer through works addressing themes related to life and the cosmos and to artistic sensibility and technology, including Direction, in which he produces paintings using gravity, Force, in which silicone oil pours down through a space, Biomatrix, in which bubbles and grids emerge on a liquid surface, and Foam, in which bubbles form enormous volumes. Recently, Nawa has also worked on architectural projects, including the art pavilion Kohtei. VESSEL, a performance work produced in conjunction with Belgo-French choreographer and dancer Damien Jalet, has been presented around the world since its premiere in 2015. In 2018, his sculpture Throne was exhibited under the Pyramid at the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France.

Tokujin Yoshioka

Artist. Born in 1967. Studied design under Shiro Kuramata and Issey Miyake; established Tokujin Yoshioka Inc. in 2000. Active in the fields of design, architecture, and contemporary art; his lyrical installations have earned him international acclaim. Major works include Water Block, on permanent display at Musée d’Orsay; Rainbow Church, an architectural work made of crystal prisms; VENUS, a crystal chair; KOU-AN, a glass tea house; and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Torch. His works are in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, and other major museums around the world. Recipient of Mainichi Design Award, Minister of Education’s Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists, Design Miami – Designer of the Year, Milano Design Award – Winner, and numerous other international awards. Named one of Newsweek magazine’s 100 Most Respected Japanese in the World.

Klaus Haapaniemi

Born in 1970 in Helsinki, Finland, Klaus Haapaniemi was influenced by the natural and traditional beauty of his native land. His work embodies a unique perspective, style, and feel, a fusion of fantasy and realism. In addition to the creative development of his original artworks, he has collaborated with a range of companies, including Iittala and Established ＆ Sons. In 2015, he designed the costumes and stage decorations for the Finnish National Opera. In 2019, Kadokawa published the first collection of his works, Klaus Haapaniemi~ Yume no Fukei.

© 2019 KLAUS HAAPANIEMI All Rights Reserved.
Rights Management: Bluefolio Inc.

Chiharu Shiota

Born 1972 in Osaka Prefecture, currently based in Berlin. In 2008, Shiota received the Art Encouragement Prize from the Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In addition to solo exhibitions held across the world including Art Gallery of South Australia (2018), Yorkshire Sculpture Park (2018), Smithsonian Institution Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (2014), the Museum of Art, Kochi (2013), MIMOCA Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art (2012), and the National Museum of Art, Osaka (2008), she has participated in numerous international exhibitions such as the Biennale of Sydney (2016), the Kiev Biennale (2012), and the Yokohama Triennale (2001). In 2015, she represented Japan at the 56th Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition. Plans to hold her largest individual exhibition ever at the Mori Art Museum in June 2019.

Photo: Ken Kato

Nicolas Buffe

Born in Paris, France, in 1978, and relocated to Tokyo in 2007, Nicolas Buffe creates his own unique worlds through a remarkable blending of Japan’s anime culture, an influence since his youth, with American subcultures, based on the background of baroque art, and traditional forms of European culture from the medieval and Renaissance periods. Inspired by the humanist concept of serio ludere, or serious play, his works incorporate visual elements and interactive experiences fused with narrative elements.