Current Exhibition

From March 5 (Wed) to June 29 (Sun) 2025, the Shiseido Gallery will present solo exhibitions by each of the three artists selected for the 18th "shiseido art egg" – Shinobu Daito, suzueri(Elico Suzuki) and Naoya Hirata.

"shiseido art egg" is an open-call program in which Shiseido supports emerging artists whose creations stimulate the senses and offer different and diverse values, expanding the possibilities for new kinds of beauty, the opportunity to showcase their work in solo exhibitions. Since the program was launched in 2006 a total of 51 artists / artist units have presented their work in this manner, and gone on to grow their presence on the art scene.

This edition of "shiseido art egg," the 18th, attracted 291 entrants, from which three were selected: Shinobu Daito, suzueri, and Naoya Hirata.
Entries were judged on whether they offered an original perspective on today's world, and engaged earnestly with contemporary struggles and uncertainties to express new values and a new kind of aesthetic awareness.
Through walking, dancing, and interpreting the human traces within landscapes, Daito spins tales, thereby paying homage to these environments. suzueri explores the relationship between telecommunications and society by finding narratives within that represented by connecting pianos, self-made circuits, and communications devices. Hirata, in turn, through the use of avatars, delves into our physicality and identity, as our physical bodies become increasingly virtualized.
With support from curators the chosen three will mine their respective themes and expression to embark on the production of new works, culminating in a series of exhibitions, firstly by Daito, then suzueri, and finally, Hirata. We are confident these new offerings from the artists, addressing various changes in society as they take a fresh look at the way we are today, will provide a trove of thought-provoking new insights for viewers.

Once all three exhibitions have ended, the "shiseido art egg prize" will be awarded to the artist whose work best exemplified the creation of new value. The 18th edition judges are architect and prominent figure on Japan's creative scene Yuko Nagayama, aesthetician Futoshi Hoshino, and artist Goro Murayama.

Walking through unfamiliar deserted communities and residential streets, performing the Bon-odori dance that doubles as an ancestral offering, Shinobu Daito discerns the lingering aura of these places and explores traces of human activity and presence left on the landscape. For this exhibition she links charcoal drawings and video in relaxed fashion to portray, in a monochrome space drained of all color, a tale of a landscape, spun over time. Tune ears and body into this story as you experience it for hints of where we are now, and where we are heading.

It is a great privilege to be invited to show my work in a place where I have long been eager to do so. Identifying the “whereabouts of people” by tracking their endeavors on the landscape, my practice endeavors to “offer prayers to the landscape.” I will bring with me some landscapes cloaked in the deep shadows of night, that may seem a little remote from Ginza with its plethora of elegant historical buildings, yet nevertheless are to be found somewhere, and thus connected. I hope many people will come to see them.

suzueri constructs installations using devices made by linking such items as a piano to electronic circuitry of her own making, and gives improvised performances on these, in an attempt to identify narrative qualities in sound and symbols of the communications technology that transmits it. The foundation of the communications technologies indispensable to modern life such as Wi-Fi and GPS is said to have been developed by Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr (1914–2000), who was also an inventor. For this exhibition suzueri focuses on the tumultuous life of Lamarr, who was also an immigrant, with offerings that include an installation connecting piano and light bulbs to telecommunications equipment, as she contemplates the relationship between telecommunications and society.

My work to date has consisted of performances using devices of my own making. With regard to the narrative of the devices used and the sounds they emit, I entered the competition with a desire to think about what comes next, and am grateful to have been selected.
I was a little unsure, but in the end decided not to disclose here my year of birth or first university graduation. In today’s Japan, to be given a setting where one can be evaluated with no regard to age, gender, or previous achievements, is to be the recipient of a delightful generosity. I already feel nervous, but will do my utmost to fashion a good exhibition space.

Naoya Hirata explores our physicality and identity at a time when the march of digital technology is driving a growing virtualization of the body itself, and avatars become increasingly common. Those used on VR social media platforms are not simply stand-ins, but mirrors that reflect deliberately chosen individual characteristics and ideas; manifestations of our true psyche. In a future of sophisticated AI with recognizable personalities, will even be able to distinguish between human being and the AI we have created? In this exhibition Hirata attempts to explore “the locus of the spirit residing in the surface that is the body.”

I am deeply honored to become a part of the history of exhibitions at the Shiseido Gallery. I feel that people's gaze upon the world is changing, not drastically but gradually and unconsciously, due to the emergence of new technologies. As technology evolves, the way we use our bodies changes. And as the way we use our bodies changes, our minds naturally follow. I am one of those who have experienced this firsthand. What shape does our spirit take now? I will keep this question in mind, as I continue to engage with my own expression.

After the opening of each exhibition, a video of the artist explaining his or her work at the venue will be posted on the official Shiseido Gallery website. Details to follow on the website.