The Mori Art Award decorates mid-career contemporary artists in Japan to further their international status.
Held biennially, the award selection process begins with a short list of artists recommended by the Japan-based curators serving as a Nominators from superb examples of exhibitions and works over the previous two years. The International Jury then selects four finalists after screening the submission materials. The winning artist is decided after a final screening. The winner receives prize money of 10 million yen and the opportunity to hold an exhibition of their work, jointly organized by Mori Art Museum and MoriCAF.
The other three finalists receive prize moneys of 1 million yen each.
2026 International Jury
- Kataoka Mami
- Director, Mori Art Museum; Chair, International Jury
- Rhana Devenport
- Former Director, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
- Glenn D. Lowry
- Director Emeritus, The Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Frances Morris
- Former Director, Tate Modern, London
- Suhanya Raffel
- Museum Director, M+, Hong Kong
- Eugene Tan
- Director, The National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum
2026 Nominators
- Cho Sunhye
- Associate Curator, Mori Art Museum
- Sumi Naoko
- Chief Curator, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
- Kimura Eriko
- Director, Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art
- Nakamura Fumiko
- Senior Curator, Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka
- Tokuyama Hirokazu
- Senior Curator, MoriArt Museum
- Tsubaki Reiko
- Curator, MoriArt Museum
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International Jury on February 25, 2026, and Katayama Mari was selected as the winner of the inaugural Grand Prize.Mori Contemporary Art Foundation (MoriCAF) hopes that the award both serves as a showcase of the current state of Japanese contemporary art and leads to further international success for the winner. The Grand Prize winner receives prize money of ¥10 million and the opportunity to hold an exhibition of their work, jointly organized by MoriCAF and Mori Art Museum. The other finalists also receive prize moneys of ¥1 million each.
Mori Art Award was established by MoriCAF to support mid-career artists set to become the next leading figures in contemporary art. MoriCAF continues the Mori Art Award and its other efforts in keeping with the deep passion for contemporary art of its founding chairperson, Mori Yoshiko, and her aspirations to promote international cultural exchange and the sustainable development of Japanese contemporary art.
Jury Chair’s Commentary on the Mori Art Award 2026
The four finalists of the inaugural Mori Art Award 2026 engage with diverse media and themes, sharing a profound conviction that art can bring reconciliation to the world. All of them demonstrate the passion and courage to take on major challenges.
The Mori Art Award was established to support mid-career Japanese artists in achieving greater international prominence. It calls on artists to transcend individual concerns — whether rooted in the personal or the planetary, technology or geopolitics — to reach the wider world.
Grand Prize winner Katayama Mari explores the possibility of extending the boundaries of her own body with strength and affirmation, working with analog photography and handcraft practices such as embroidery and needlework. Her recent work tree of life suggests an ambitious new direction. Katayama’s practice invites comparison with international peers and is expected to transcend cultural and social boundaries through the fusion of powerful imagery and a strong conceptual framework.
Mori Art Award 2026 Grand Prize Winner and Finalists
Grand Prize Winner Katayama Mari
Finalists Koizumi Meiro, 目[mé], Yamashiro Chikako