A blog related to original AI artworks. I make AI artworks using coined words and emoji as prompts.

Visited the Chubi and Shin Geijutsu Exhibitions

As previously mentioned, one of my works received an award at the Shin Geijutsu Exhibition, and four works were selected across both the Chubi and Shin Geijutsu Exhibitions. I attended the awards ceremonies and parties for these exhibitions and later visited the exhibitions themselves.

The first event was the Shin Geijutsu Exhibition party on Saturday, which overlapped with the Nicograph 2024 conference reception. I prioritized the Shin Geijutsu Exhibition and traveled from the conference venue at Tokyo City University in Setagaya to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno. I received two awards: the Kusakabe Prize and the Effort Award. While I received certificates and prizes, the prize (watercolor paints) was of little use to me. At the party, I spoke with another recipient of the Kusakabe Prize and also had various discussions with the directors of the Shin Geijutsu Association, including accompanying one of them to the venue.

On Sunday at 1 PM, I attended the Chubi Exhibition review session, which also overlapped with the conference. I left the conference temporarily to travel back and forth between Setagaya and Ueno. Fortunately, I was able to hear the reviews for my two selected works right away and returned to Tokyo City University without waiting for other reviews. However, I arrived slightly late for my poster presentation. Since staying until the end of the presentation would make me late for the Chubi party, I left early and returned to Ueno. At the party, it was clear that the Chubi Exhibition had significantly more participants than the Shin Geijutsu Exhibition. In addition to speaking with those nearby, I also talked with the reviewer and the chairman of the Chuo Art Association. The chairman mentioned that while special awards and free participation are offered to those under 12 and 18 to encourage participation, there are fewer submissions from older generations. Observing the party attendees, it was evident there was a gap in age participation.

I later visited these exhibitions and others held concurrently. The Chubi Exhibition was the largest, spread across a dozen or so rooms with ample space. My works were displayed as follows:

Although surrounded by small pieces, the overall exhibition featured many large works exceeding 100-size canvases, which made mine appear somewhat less impactful. Although the reviewers denied this, I heard at both parties that it’s becoming harder to win awards without submitting large works. Indeed, there seemed to be no award-winning small pieces.

At the Shin Geijutsu Exhibition, my works were displayed as follows:

Here, too, large works dominated the space. My awarded piece, at 80 × 80 cm, appeared to be the smallest among the award-winning works. The two selected but unawarded pieces were 55 × 55 cm. While the lack of awards for these smaller pieces may not be directly related to their size, it’s worth noting.

I also visited three concurrently held exhibitions: the JAG Exhibition, the Taiyo Art Exhibition, and the Gun’en Exhibition. The JAG Exhibition stood out for its many 3D works. The Taiyo Art Exhibition, which has maintained exchanges with the French organization “Le Salon” since its inception, included several works from France. Many Japanese contributions depicted traditional Japanese themes. The venue was quite cramped, with works densely displayed. The Gun’en Exhibition appeared to accept CG works as well. Since all of these are open-call exhibitions, submitting works to them next year is an option.