WATANABE Atsushi

Teaching Staff (Arts & Roots)

Title Assistant Professor
   
Research Fields Contemporary Art, Art Project, Co-creation Practices in Studies of Social Withdrawal
   
Education
2009
Master of Master of Fine Arts, Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts
2007
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts
 
   
Selected Professional Experience
2026-Present
Assistant Professor, Akita University of Art
2024
Lecturer, “Creative Workshop for Lived Experience,” Hikikomori VOICE STATION (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)
2020-2023
Adjunct Lecturer, Musashino Art University
 
   
Recent Activities

< Solo Exhibition >

2025
“Moon in the Wind Hole”, Yokohama city hall, Kanagawa, Japan

2023
“NACT View 03 | I Hate Free Hugs”, The National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan

2021
“The Day We Saw the Same Moon”, R16 studio, Kanagawa, Japan

2020
“Monument of Restoration”, BankART SILK, Kanagawa, Japan

2019
“On Gazes”, Studio Under the Railway Tracks Site-A Gallery, Kanagawa, Japan
“ATUSHI WATANABE”, The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, UK(London)

2017
“My Wounds / Your Wounds”, Roppongi Hills A/D Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

<Group Exhibitions >

2025
“Palestine: A Warm Home in Matsudo”, Inkiyoya, Chiba, Japan
“Disruptive Landscapes: Contemporary Art from Japan”, Christchurch Art Gallery, New Zealand

2024
“Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2024 beyond”, Mt. Rokko, Hyogo, Japan

2023
“Not Empathy Strictly Speaking”, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

2022
Setouchi Triennale 2022, Kagawa, Japan
Aichi Triennale 2022: STILL ALIVE, Aichi Arts Center, Aichi, Japan

2021
TURN FES 6, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

2020
ARTEFACT 2020: ALONE TOGETHER, STUK, Belgium
2020 Asia Project: Looking for Another Family, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea

< Symposia/Events >

2025
Hikikomori VOICE STATION FES, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Shibuya Hikarie Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Towards the Realization of an “Individually Independent” Society: Thinking About Social Isolation and Loneliness, Tsukuba International Congress Center, Ibaraki, Japan

2022
Annual Convention of Japan Association of Qualitative Psychology, Aichi University Nagoya Campus, Aichi, Japan

2019
Hikikomori in Japan and the UK, Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, UK

2017
Annual Meeting of the Society of Artistic Anatomy, Japan, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo, Japan

< Awards/Prizes >

2024
Organizer’s Special Award, Kobe Rokko Meets Art 2024 beyond

2020
The 69th Yokohama Cultural Award for Encouragement of Culture and Arts

 
   
Courses Taught Introductory Seminar1
Contemporary Art Seminar (Arts & Roots)
Introduction to Arts & Roots
Arts & Roots Seminar
Project Planning and Presentation
Art Project
Graduation Project (Arts & Roots)

​​​

Example Works
The Moon Rises Again (from the project “The Day We Looked at the Same Moon”)
2022 / Atsushi WATANABE (I’m here Project)
Video Installation / Setouchi Triennale 2022
Photo by Shintaro MIYAWAKI		 Your Moon (from the project “The Day We Looked at the Same Moon”)
2025 / Atsushi WATANABE (I’m here Project)
Installation / Disruptive Landscapes: Contemporary Art from Japan, Christchurch
Art Gallery, New Zealand		 The Light of Those Who Are Not Here (from the project “The Day We Looked at
the Same Moon”)
2022 / Atsushi WATANABE (I’m here Project)
Installation / Setouchi Triennale 2022		 The project of “I hate Free Hugs”
2025 / Atsushi WATANABE (I’m here Project)
Installation / Solo Exhibition “Moon in the Wind Hole”, Yokohama City Hall		 The project of “I hate Free Hugs”
2025 / Atsushi WATANABE (I’m here Project)
Installation / Solo Exhibition “Moon in the Wind Hole”, Yokohama City Hall
“Seven-Day Death”
2018 / Atsushi WATANABE (I’m here Project)
Performance / “Ame ni mo Makezu”, R16 studio, Kanagawa
Photo by Keisuke INOUE		 “The Door” (from the project ““Monument of Restoration”
2020 / Atsushi WATANABE (I’m here Project)
Kintsugi in Concrete / “Monument of Restoration”, BankART SILK, Kanagawa
Photo by Keisuke INOUE		 “Graduation Album” (from the project ““Monument of Restoration”
2019 / Atsushi WATANABE (I’m here Project)
Kintsugi in Concrete / Co-creation with T
Photo by Keisuke INOUE		 “Self Portrait”
2016 / Atsushi WATANABE
Kintsugi in Concrete, Photo transfer, paint
Photo by Keisuke INOUE		 “I’m here Project”
2020 / Atsushi WATANABE (I’m here Project)
Installation / “ARTEFACT 2020: ALONE TOGETHER”, STUK, Belge
Photo by Kristof Vrancken

Further details (in Japanese) can be found at the following link: WATANABE Atsushi (Japanese page)