Global Networking

JUMP: Global Collaboration Program for Emerging Artists and Curators from Japan is a program to encourage emerging Japanese artists and curators to develop their international presence. Three teams, a total of seven artists and curators, conduct research as the basis for creating and exhibiting works in three cities that have historical and cultural ties to Japan: Lisbon, Los Angeles, and Sydney. On the JUMP official website, you can find lively reports on international collaboration, people who are participating this program, and Behind the Scenes insights into creative processes as well. The website also provides regular updates on the progress of the JUMP program.

The National Center for Art Research, Japan (NCAR), in collaboration with the French Embassy in Japan/Institut français du Japon, and the Centre Pompidou, has been implementing a curatorial exchange program since FY2024. Through the reciprocal dispatch of curators between the National Museums of Art, Japan and the Centre Pompidou, the program aims to foster personnel exchange and research, promote a deeper understanding of modern and contemporary art and design in both Japan and France, and strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.

NCAR is advancing strategic partnerships with overseas art institutions to promote international exchange and research opportunities for curators in Japan and abroad. In September 2024, NCAR concluded a MOU with Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab(C-LAB)/Taiwan Living Arts Foundation, and is promoting cultural exchange centered on the development of emerging curators in Japan and Taiwan.

As part of its collaborative initiatives with national museums overseas, NCAR concluded a MOU in December 2024 with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT). Over a multi-year period, curators from both countries engage in ongoing exchange, undertaking a joint research project that explores and reexamines the history of artistic exchange between Korea and Japan in modern and contemporary art, drawing on the collections and archival materials of the national museums of both countries.

The Japan–Australia Art Museum Curator Exchange Program was launched in FY1989 under the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Japan and Australia. The program aims to promote cultural exchange between the two countries by mutually inviting curators, and by fostering the introduction of art, museums, and artists in each country. Since FY2023, the program has been transferred from the Agency for Cultural Affairs to the National Museum of Art, Japan, with NCAR responsible for inviting curators to Japan.