​Taro Amano

Chief Curator Yokohama Museum of Art

It's still in the file stage, so I can't say for certain, but I get the impression that the motivation behind the production is coming from a very narrow area. I don't think this is a question of youth or depth of experience, but rather a question of the depth of the work that goes into oneself, such as why one expresses oneself.

​Yuka Uematsu

Senior Researcher, National Museum of Art, Osaka

How do new talents express this society and the times in which we live? I am looking forward to meeting such talented people who are full of energy and potential for the future, even if they are off-kilter or substandard at times.

​Shigeo Goto

Professor, Kyoto University of Art and Design

It's interesting to see how trends change every year. Many of his paintings are highly abstract and created with a sense of tension. Conceptual works are more suspended in the air than open-ended. Overall, there is an eerie calm, like before the incident.

​Kazue Kobata

Professor, Department of Intermediate Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts

As if to drown out the disturbing signs of the post-3.11 era, we come across a group of works that explore the relationship between the world and the self by injecting deep interest, ambition, and technical ingenuity into a single canvas, video, or object. . The young artists who are now making their way to the world are clearly showing that they have figured out how to do it, reminding us of the importance of taking one step at a time.

​Tomio Koyama

Representative of Tomio Koyama Gallery, Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Faculty of Global Japanese Studies, Meiji University

This year as well, I visited many of the university's graduation and completion exhibitions. Although I look forward to it every year, I am surprised and anxious when the results are not always the same. I have heard that many students were thinking about finding a job this year. The anxieties of the times may also have a strong influence. However, I am very happy that the works of 30 timeless Artist were selected this year as well. It gave me courage to try my best to do things that only I could do.

​Naoki Sato

ASYL Art Director, 3331 Arts Chiyoda Design Director, Tama Art University Associate Professor

In fact, there are not many people who can continue to create expressions that are an extension of what they created at the age of graduating from university and can be adapted to later generations. The concept of "art" is also changing. I would like to have high hopes for those who are trying to get to the essence of creating something ``beyond that.''

​Akiya Takahashi

Director of Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo

A general trend toward more serious expression has been felt for several years, but this year it seems to have accelerated further. While it has been internalized, I also feel that the experimental elements are lurking a little. It seems like a direct reflection of society in turmoil, but I hope to see more works that shed light on that in the future.

​Yuko Hasegawa

Chief Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Professor, Tama Art University

It was noticeable that many of the nominees for this year's Art Award were paintings, and these were done in the grisaille or ink painting style, and the works that expressed emotions and events through monochrome and delicate shading caught my eye. Is it because of the psychological shadow after the earthquake, or is it a review to a new basic? On the other hand, there were some outstandingly unique expressions, so I'm looking forward to future developments.

guest judge

​Fuyuko Matsui

Artist

photo: MAKOTO NAKAGAWA

Main exhibitions

2005 Solo exhibition “Fuyuko Matsui” Exhibition Naruyama Gallery
2008 Solo exhibition “Fuyuko Matsui” Exhibition Hirano Art Museum
2010 Solo exhibition “Fuyuko Matsui” Gallery DA-END (Paris)
2011 Solo exhibition “You can make friends with children from all over the world” Yokohama Museum of Art
2012 Phantoms of Asia Asian Art Museum (San Francisco)

Using classical Japanese painting techniques, he depicts a unique world on silk. There are many extremely eerie images, such as a dog that looks like a ghost, a human body that exposes its internal organs, flowers that look like ghosts, and a shape that looks like a chart used by a psychiatrist, and the audience feels pain and violence. His solo exhibition at Yokohama Museum of Art in 2011 attracted over 70,000 visitors during the three-month Exhibition Period. At this exhibition, he created his first video work, ``Reproduction of Intruded Thoughts'' (2 minutes 58 seconds), expanding his possibilities as a painter.

“Connecting Transformations” 2011 Colored silk, axis 30.0×80.0cm