Showcasing Osaka’s Evolving Collector Scene as World Expo Lights up the City

Art Osaka 2026 28 May–1 June 2026

With the World Expo currently underway, global attention is once again on Osaka. The excitement is palpable, especially for those visiting in early June, who can not only explore cutting-edge technology and cultural showcases from around the world, but also have a chance to experience Osaka’s thriving art scene.

The 23rd edition of Art Osaka opened on Friday to preview-day crowds that quickly filled the venue—with typical Japanese orderliness. 

Featuring 63 galleries from 11 cities across Japan and the region, this year’s edition spans three components: the main Gallery Section, the Expanded Section at a former shipbuilding factory in Kitakagaya, and a newly launched Screening Program showcasing Japanese moving image art from the 1960s to today.

While many galleries said the timing of the World Expo influenced their decision to participate this year, Yukako Atsuchi, director of Tokyo’s Biscuit Gallery, said she simply loves the fair for its rare spatial freedom. 

‘We started joining four years ago,’ she said. ‘There’s no other fair in Japan like this one that lets us show large-scale works. I especially love the Expanded Section—because of the unique venue. There are no walls, just a wide space with a few pillars. It’s perfect for installations.’

For this edition, Biscuit Gallery teamed up with the newly established AWASE gallery to present a dual exhibition by artist Sawako Nasu and architect Yuta Shimoda. Nasu’s monochrome paintings take on three-dimensional form in response to Shimoda’s minimalist, lightweight tensegrity structures—membrane forms inspired by the principles of origami, where folded paper becomes self-supporting.

‘We simply wanted to show the audience how contemporary art can be presented differently through collaboration,’ Atsuchi said, explaining why Biscuit Gallery chose to team up with an architect for this edition of the fair. 

While large-scale installations remain difficult to sell in Japan—where many collectors prefer smaller works—she noted there is still a solid base of serious collectors open to acquiring more ambitious pieces.

Inside the main Gallery Section, many exhibitors brought bolder, more experimental works this year, reflecting growing confidence in Japan’s increasingly eclectic collector base. 

Among the standouts was first-time participant gallery Aisho, whose booth paired Kazuma Koike’s ceramic pots and Maiko Kobayashi’s cartoon-like paintings with vibrant figurative works by Hungarian artist Ákos Ezer and a laid-back geometric interior by Los Angeles-based painter Brian Robertson. 

With prices ranging from $2,000 to $15,000 (USD), Lyn Tobari, an art advisor working with the gallery, said they sold a painting by Kobayashi on the first day, while other collectors were considering purchasing the full set of four.

In recent years, Japan’s art scene has regained international traction, prompting the launch of new fairs looking to ride the momentum. Among them, Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK) has emerged as a key destination, drawing major galleries and collectors to the Kansai region each fall. But Yuichi Mori, director of the Association for the Promotion of Contemporary Art, which operates Art Osaka, sees these events as complementary rather than competitive.

‘ACK brings in blue-chip galleries and big collectors—we focus more on supporting younger galleries and emerging artists,’ said Mori, noting that Art Osaka charges only about a third of ACK’s participation fees. This affordability has allowed many regional galleries and artists to make their art fair debut, while a rigorous selection committee ensures a high standard of work.

Kodama Kanazawa, an independent curator and co-founder of the art consulting firm Code-a-Machine, added that the Osaka art scene is particularly collegial.

‘In Osaka, we have a tight-knit community of artists, curators, and galleries that always support each other.’ —[O]

Main image: Nasu Sawako and Shimoda Yuta, The Poetics of Structure, biscuit gallery + AWASE gallery, ART OSAKA (6–8 June 2025). Courtesy ART OSAKA. Photo: Yuico Taiya.