TOKYO.- Mori Yoshiko, the first Chairperson and now Chairperson Emerita of the Mori Art Museum, announced the establishment of the Mori Contemporary Art Foundation (MoriCAF), with the goal of promoting Japanese contemporary art to the international art world.

The foundation will provide ongoing support to boost Japanese contemporary art on the global stage through the Curator Residency Program, which offers opportunities for overseas curators to conduct research on artists in Japan and interact with art professionals, as well as the Mori Art Award, which recognizes excellence in Japanese artists from a global perspective. Through these activities, MoriCAF aspires to contribute to the promotion and further development of Japanese contemporary art, bolstering and sustaining its presence in the international art world.

Representative Director and founder Mori Yoshiko explains her vision for MoriCAF as follows: “Established in 2003, Mori Art Museum has actively built relationships with major art museums overseas and learned from international standards. On visits to art scenes around the globe, I was greatly struck by how though Japan has many incredibly talented artists, there are still few opportunities to introduce them internationally. I have long wanted to present Japanese contemporary art on the world stage, and so in order to provide sustained support in an individual capacity, rather than through the institutional framework of a museum, I established the Mori Contemporary Art Foundation.

The foundation’s activities center around two pillars: a residency program for overseas curators to research Japanese contemporary art and the Mori Art Award, which boosts the international profile of mid-career Japanese artists. A key feature of both programs is that directors of globally renowned art museums, including MoMA in New York, serve as members of the International Jury. The foundation is able to carry these activities thanks to the more than twenty years of experience I accrued at Mori Art Museum and the many people I met during that time. I am personally very excited to see the outcome of the foundation’s efforts.”

Kataoka Mami, Director of Mori Art Museum and Chair of the foundation’s International Jury, said the following:“Since the 1990s, the contemporary art community has spread all over the world, and each region is actively engaged in sharing art based on its own historical and cultural contexts. Strategy is vital to firmly position a country or region’s art on this global platform. It is my hope that through the Mori Contemporary Art Foundation’s core activities of professional exchange and recognizing mid-career artists, Japanese contemporary art will connect with the world and the founder’s vision will be achieved.”

The foundation’s official website was launched today, along with the open call for the Curator Residency Program. Information about the foundation’s future activities will be sent out via an email newsletter (registration required).