Overview

The National Center for Art Research (NCAR) conducted the first “NCAR Study Tour” in November 2023, which dispatched Japan-based curators and researchers overseas to expand opportunities for professional activities and deepen their understanding of their fields of research with the aim of building an ongoing network among national museums and art professionals in Japan and abroad.

The first tour was focused on Korea. We visited the museums and institutions in Korea where they present exhibitions and hold collections with a focus on contemporary art and conducted guided tours led by Korea-based art professionals, group discussions to exchange opinions, and networking events. A total of 17 participants from Japan, including 13 participants who passed an open recruitment screening (curators and more are from public and private museums, universities, and cultural institutions across the country), and 4 researchers from the Independent Administrative Institution National Museums of Art, joined in the study tour.

This tour was held for five days, from November 13 to November 17, 2023, across three cities: Seoul, Ulsan, and Busan. By visiting facilities with a variety of operating models, from national/public institutions to private institutions, such as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (Seoul, Cheongju), Seoul Museum of Art, Leeum Museum of Art, Amore Pacific Art Museum, Busan Museum of Arts, Busan Museum of Contemporary Art, Ulsan Art Museum (＊The complete list of visiting destinations is appended at the end of this report), and more, we observed the contemporary art scene in Korea from various perspectives.

On-site networking

At the art institutions we visited, in addition to inspecting the ongoing exhibitions and facility equipment, the opportunities for discussions and exchanges of opinions with directors and curators were provided at all visiting art institutions, as the primary goal of the study tour was to facilitate the communication between Japan-based art professionals and Korea-based art professionals. Also, to further the exchange of knowledge in broad areas of interest, various staff with different specialized fields from multiple art institutions participated in the discussions including curators, conservators responsible for maintaining the artworks, archivists who organize and maintain the materials and data, and management staff responsible for public relations and operations, and more. During the discussion meeting, the participants dispatched from Japan mainly introduced their activities, purposes of the visit, and areas of interest. After that, participants from Korea also introduced their activities and explained the history, overview, purpose, project, and policy of operation of each art institution. Afterwards, the participants were split up into different groups based on their specialized fields and areas of interest to have discussions and question-and-answer sessions. Throughout the entire itinerary, we made it possible to effectively exchange opinions with multiple art professionals within a limited time frame.

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  Gathering at Ulsan Art Museum
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  Gathering at Museum of Contemporary Art Busan

Future perspective

After the exchange between Japan-based and Korea-based art professionals this time, feedback that we received from the Korea-based art professionals indicated, “Having a large-scale face-to-face exchange among art professionals, including curators, and getting to know each other is extremely important. Once a connection is established, it becomes possible to utilize the mutual networks they shared with each other and significantly increase the possibilities of achieving collaborative projects. We certainly wanted to hold tours like this at our affiliated institutions as well.” After the tour, curators and staff who met at the art institutions in Korea have initiated further exchanges by inviting Korea-based art professionals to visit the affiliated art institutions of Japan-based art professionals in Japan, aiming to create a specific plan for a collaborative project hereafter. Several participants have reported that they are planning to conduct collaborative projects and joint research with the art institution in Korea they visited during the tour. NCAR and those who are involved in the tour are looking forward to developing cooperation in the future.

Feedback from participants

“I have come to realize that the richness of the cultural budget, the museum's activities, and the clarity with which it discloses information to the public with willingness bring a sense of security and daily enjoyment to viewers. In particular, an approach to offering free access to young people not only reflects a profound understanding of the importance of arts in society, but also signifies a positive change laying the foundation of a stable and mature society, which can be presumed through direct observation. It is important to establish a disclosure system for releasing archives and information to the public, as it will significantly contribute to fostering mature, human-cultural, and constructive relationships connected with the world in the future.” (Hotta Aya, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo)

“I got interested in learning about the circumstances of each museum institution with different origins, such as those in capital city, Seoul and other regions, public and private institutions, and more. While the differences with the Japanese operational system are obvious, there are also many common issues between the two countries. The discussion with Korean curators was a great opportunity to reconsider the role of ‘museums.’ (…) It can be observed that over the past few decades, Korea has consciously supported contemporary art as a cultural asset at the national and regional levels.” (Nishikawa Mihoko, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)

“Along with the small gender gap, I felt the curators in Korea were provided with an environment where they could fully focus on their projects with sufficient staff and a well-organized structure. I think Japan has much to learn from Korea, which includes initiatives led by national institutions that support artists through achieving studio residencies and award systems and such.” (Keino Yuka, Aomori Public University, Aomori Contemporary Art Centre [ACAC])

“Throughout the program, unlike individual visits or museums’ business trips, I believe that the study tour provided a highly valuable opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the contemporary art scene in Korea, like through private tours among various institutions made possible by the local coordinators. In addition, I was able to exchange information with fellow participants in my generation to establish a connection with Japan-based curators and researchers.” (Iioka Riku, Mori Art Museum)

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  Gathering at Nam June Paik Art Center
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  Gathering at ARKO Art Center
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  Visiting the open storage room on a guided-tour at National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea(MMCA Cheongju)

By continuing to host the "NCAR Study Tour," we hope to create more opportunities for art professionals from Japan and abroad to exchange their views and contribute to enhancing the international presence of Japanese art.

List of visiting destination (the schedule is followed by the itinerary):

Day 1 (Departure date・Stay in Seoul)	・National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea（Seoul）  Holding a discussion meeting to exchange opinions with art professionals including curators and more
Day 2 (Stay in Seoul)	・Leeum Museum of Art  ・Amore Pacific Museum of Art  ・SeMa, Seoul Museum of Art  Holding a discussion meeting to exchange opinions with art professionals including curators and more at each art institution visited
Day 3 (Stay in Seoul) Optional tour/Free activity   ＊only for participants who wish to attend can choose one visiting destination from the list on the right side.	・Seoul Museum of Craft Arts  ・ARKO Art Center  ・Nam June Paik Art Center  Holding a discussion meeting to exchange opinions with art professionals including curators and more at each art institution visited
Day 4 (Stay in Ulsan)	・National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea（Cheongju）  ・Ulsan Art Museum  Holding a discussion meeting to exchange opinions with art professionals including curators and more at each art institution visited
Day 5 (Return date)	・Busan Museum of Art  ・Museum of Contemporary Art Busan  Holding a discussion meeting to exchange opinions with art professionals including curators and more at each art institution visited

Participant list (Last name in alphabetical order):
※as of November 2023

Name	Affiliation
Choo Kukhee	Hosei University
Daicho Tomohiro	The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
Haibara Chiaki	Tokyo University of the Arts
Hang Ishu	21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Hotta Aya	The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Iioka Riku	Mori Art Museum
Iwata Tomoya	The 5th Floor
Keino Yuka	Aomori Public University, Aomori Contemporary Art Centre (ACAC)
Kurosawa Seiha	Torikumu Corp.
Miyamoto Noriaki	National Film Archive of Japan
Nishikawa Mihoko	Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Serizawa Namiki	Aichi Prefecture Bureau of Community and Cultural Affairs/Aichi Prefecture Museum of Art
Shimada Mei	Arts Council Tokyo (CCBT)
Toyama Aruma	Towada Art Center
Uo Kana	Aichi Prefecture Museum of Art
Yoon Jihye	The National Art Center, Tokyo
ZHU CHAOQUN	Edo-Tokyo Museum