Mori Art Award 2026 Grand Prize Exhibition: Katayama Mari opens!
The Mori Contemporary Art Foundation (MoriCAF) and the Mori Art Museum open an exhibition showcasing the work of Katayama Mari, winner of the Mori Art Award’s inaugural Grand Prize, from Saturday, October 31, 2026, to Sunday, March 28, 2027.
The biennial Mori Art Award was established in May 2025 by the MoriCAF. The Japan-based Nomination Committee first creates a shortlist of mid-career Japanese artists, or artists with strong connections to Japan, based on exceptional exhibitions and works from the previous two years. The International Jury selects four finalists after reviewing the shortlisted artists’ submission materials and determines the Grand Prize winner following an in-person screening process. The Grand Prize recipient is awarded ¥10 million and the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition jointly organized by the MoriCAF and the Mori Art Museum. The other three finalists receive prize money of ¥1 million each.
Through hand-sewn objects, photography, video and installation, Katayama has presented compelling possibilities for expanding the boundaries inherent in society — such as those between the self and the other, and between the artificial and the natural. Her practice was highly praised by the Mori Art Award, and she is expected to achieve further success on the international art scene.
This exhibition will present twelve works, including large-format photographs, hand-sewn objects, and wall-based works, centered on her recent series “tree of life” (2024–), works from which have also been acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. In “tree of life,”
Katayama depicts our existence not as closed individual entities, but as beings situated within institutions and histories—formed within relationships and mutually shaping one another. “The body is shared, and gains strength within a network,” Katayama writes. Through the body reflected in mirrors and the hand-sewn objects extending across space, she explores the relationship between the body and the world that surrounds it.
A talk program with the artist will also be held during the exhibition period, with details to be announced. Alongside the exhibition, video interviews with the Mori Art Award 2026 finalists, Katayama Mari, Koizumi Meiro, 目[mé], and Yamashiro Chikako will be screened on a monitor.
Photo: Kato Ken
Exhibition Overview
Title: Mori Art Award 2026 Grand Prize Exhibition: Katayama Mari
* Held concurrently with Mariko Mori: All That Shines at Mori Art Museum
Co-organized by Mori Contemporary Art Foundation and Mori Art Museum
Curated by: Tokuyama Hirokazu (Senior Curator, Mori Art Museum)
Venue: Small Exhibition Gallery, Mori Art Museum (53F Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
Exhibition Period: 2026.10.31 [Sat] ‒ 2027.3.28 [Sun]
Hours: 10:00‒ 22:00 | Tue: 10:00‒ 17:00 | Open until 18:00 on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. | Open until 17:00 on Friday, November 27, 2026. | Open until 22:00 on Tuesday, February 23, 2027. | Open until 6:00 a.m. the following morning on Saturday, October 31, 2026, due to “Roppongi Art Night 2026.”
* Admission until 30 minutes before closing. | * Open every day.
General inquiries: +81-(0)50-5541-8600
Exhibition website: https://www.mori.art.museum/en/exhibitions/moricaf2026
Admission is included with tickets to Mariko Mori: All That Shines, held concurrently at Mori Art Museum.
Admissions for Mariko Mori: All That Shines at Mori Art Museum
| Weekdays | Sat. Sun. & Holidays | |||
| On-Site | Online | On-Site | Online | |
| Adults | ¥ 2,800 | ¥ 2,600 | ¥ 3,000 | ¥ 2,800 |
| Students (University/High School) | ¥ 1,700 | ¥ 1,600 | ¥ 1,800 | ¥ 1,700 |
| Children (Jr. High Students and under) | Free (across the board) | |||
| Seniors (Ages 65 and over) | ¥ 2,400 | ¥ 2,200 | ¥ 2,600 | ¥ 2,400 |
Artist Profile
Katayama Mari
Born in 1987 and currently based in Gunma
Using hand-sewn objects as a starting point, Katayama creates self-portraits, video works and installations that serve as lenses reflecting multilayered social structures, roles, and the landscapes where they harmoniously resonate. Through these combinations, she questions normative societal concepts and boundaries, such as nature, artifice, and correctness. In addition to her art practice, she launched the High Heel Project in 2011 to advocate for the freedom of choice. Wearing high heels custom-made for prosthetic legs, Katayama is active in a wide range of fields, including singing, modeling, and public speaking. Major exhibitions include I’m So Happy You Are Here: Japanese Women Photographers from the 1950s to Now, International Center of Photography (ICP) (New York, 2026), Photography Now: The Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project at the Victoria & Albert Museum (London, 2025‒27), Performer and Participant at the Tate Modern (London, 2023), Home Again at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (Paris, 2021), the 58th Venice Biennale (2019), and Roppongi Crossing 2016: My Body, Your Voice at the Mori Art Museum (Tokyo). Her monograph, Synthesis, was also published in 2025.
https://marikatayama.com/
