2026年ヴェネチア・ビエンナーレ日本館。現地の臨場感を記録した荒川ナッシュ医による新作映像作品を実現し、会場に来られない方々とも体験を共有したい！

Introduction

Hello, my name is Ei Arakawa-Nash, a contemporary artist based in Los Angeles. Many of you may remember my solo exhibition at The National Art Center, Tokyo in 2024—thank you so much for your support at that time.

In April 2025, I was unexpectedly selected as the representative artist for the Japan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Opening in May 2026, the Biennale brings together art from around 90 countries and attracts more than 700,000 visitors. Often described as the World Expo or Olympics of contemporary art, it is a crucial meeting point for artists, curators, and museum directors, offering a glimpse into future directions of contemporary art.

The history of the Japan Pavilion dates back to 1895, with the current pavilion—Asia’s first permanent national pavilion—established in 1956. It will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2026.

However, only a limited number of people are able to travel all the way to Venice. That is why I want to bring my work and the experiences surrounding the Japan Pavilion exhibition to those who cannot be there in person. Through this crowdfunding campaign, I aim to realize a new video work centered on the Japan Pavilion exhibition and to present it in Japan.

About the Artist

I was born in Fukushima in 1977. At the age of 20, I moved to the United States and spent 21 years in New York before relocating to Los Angeles, where I am currently based. This will be the first solo exhibition at the Japan Pavilion by a queer Japanese American artist.

My practice is rooted in performance art—using events and actions as artworks—and I have presented works at institutions and festivals around the world, including The National Art Center, Tokyo; The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; Tate Modern, London; and the Münster Sculpture Project in Germany. I create cross-disciplinary exhibitions that explore themes such as family, identity, and institutional critique, often collaborating with many participants rather than working alone.

In my 2024 solo exhibition at The National Art Center, Tokyo, I collaborated with musicians, writers, and contemporary artists from Japan and abroad around the theme of the birth of my new family, creating an open and free-spirited exhibition that received strong critical acclaim.

As an educator, I have taught at institutions including Harvard University and UCLA, and I currently serve as a professor in the graduate art program at ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles. I love teaching and deepening my perspectives through dialogue with younger generations of artists.

About the Japan Pavilion Exhibition: Baby Grass, Baby Moon

The 2026 Japan Pavilion exhibition, Baby Grass, Baby Moon, is conceived as “a place where you can hear babies’ voices.” Sound art composed of babies’ voices will resonate throughout the pavilion. Focusing on the spatial circulation from garden to building envisioned by the pavilion’s architect in 1956, the exhibition will feature an interactive installation in which numerous baby dolls move through the pavilion and its garden. Visitors may find themselves carrying a baby doll as they walk through the space—an endearing and quietly transformative scene.

These performative elements are difficult to fully experience without being there in person. What if we could translate this experience into a video work and share it with audiences in Japan?

At the end of 2024, my husband and I welcomed twins into our family. Around the time they were four months old, this solo exhibition at the Venice Biennale was confirmed. Since then, I have found myself reflecting daily on questions such as:

• What new forms of family emerge through advances in reproductive technologies?
• What kind of future awaits children who are AI natives?
• How can we teach diversity to babies and young children?
• From the perspective of living abroad, what does “Japaneseness” mean today?

The exhibition explores important themes such as my queer identity in the context of family, which naturally arises from my daily experiences as a parent; the cultural connection as a second-generation Japanese American; the challenges of balancing parenting and my work as an artist. I aim to address questions of identity and labor through a layered approach that bridges tradition and newness. For example, a functional diaper-changing station for visitors with infants will be installed in the pavilion as a piece of conceptual art that can also be used.

Babies embody the potential of the future world. The 2026 Japan Pavilion is imagined as a place where such “futures are born.” Through this video work, I hope to share that feeling with you.

What Is Needed Now

While this exhibition is created for a specific site—the Japan Pavilion in Venice—I would like to create a video work that conveys the on-site conditions and the performances in a way that can be experienced by those who cannot travel to Venice. My hope is for viewers in Japan to understand the context of the Japan Pavilion in Venice and to feel as if they are there. This will not only be a documentation of past events, but an ambitious video work that opens up new perspectives and discoveries.

The crowdfunding goal is set at 7,000,000 yen, marking the 70th anniversary of the Japan Pavilion. I am currently in discussions with two potential film collaborators, and this amount represents the minimum budget necessary to realize the video work I envision.

Proposed Budget for Ei Arakawa-Nash New Video Work

1. Production Preparation (planning, research, coordination, local interpretation)
   ¥1,000,000
2. Filming Costs (camera crew, sound, local staff fees, equipment rental, filming insurance)
   ¥2,000,000
3. Travel & Accommodation (round-trip flights from Japan to Venice for 3 people, 10–12 nights’ accommodation, local transportation)
   ¥1,000,000
4. Post-Production (editing, color grading, sound mixing, subtitles, music, data conversion)
   ¥1,500,000
5. Fees for Collaborators
   ¥1,000,000
6. Miscellaneous / Contingency (insurance, graphics, additional interpretation, shipping, contingency)
   ¥500,000

Total: ¥7,000,000

For the Japan Pavilion exhibition, I am working closely with co-curators Mizuki Takahashi (based in Hong Kong) and Risa Horikawa (based in Singapore), engaging in near-daily discussions as we develop the project.

Through the realization of this video work, I hope to nurture the future of the Japan Pavilion together with you.
We would be sincerely grateful for your support of this crowdfunding campaign.

Supported by the Collectors’ Circle

A Collectors’ Circle has been established to support the 2026 Japan Pavilion exhibition Baby Grass, Baby Moon, initiated by Izumi Ogino, Hitoshi Tanaka, Hideaki Fukutake, Kyoko Mori, and Seiichi Yoshino. The representative organizer, Ms. Izumi Ogino, shared the following message in support of this crowdfunding campaign:

“Art has the power to pose questions that transcend nations and cultures. In order to carry that power into the future, we are now taking on a new challenge.
Despite the many difficulties we face—rising costs for artwork transportation, travel, and local accommodation due to the weak yen—the Japan Pavilion is striving to realize expressions and programs that stand on equal footing with those of other countries. The Venice Biennale, founded in 1895, is the world’s oldest international art exhibition and is often called the ‘Olympics of art,’ a stage where creative energies from around the world converge. The Japan Pavilion will mark its 70th anniversary in 2026.
We welcome Ei Arakawa-Nash as the representative artist, supported by curators Mizuki Takahashi and Risa Horikawa. We hope to nurture this project together with many people, as the creative energies of these three resonate with one another. We would be grateful if, beyond the framework of the art world, private companies, art lovers, and all those who resonate with this vision would support the Japan Pavilion’s next step through this crowdfunding campaign.”

Thank you so much for your warm support.

What’s Next

In spring 2026, eight ongoing collaborations leading up to the opening will be announced, including new information about this video work.
Please follow the official Instagram of the 2026 Japan Pavilion exhibition: @japan_pavilion_vb2026

I look forward to meeting you somewhere very soon.
Warm regards,
Ei Arakawa-Nash

Exhibition Information

The 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Japan Pavilion
Dates: May 9 (Sat) – November 22 (Sun), 2026
Venue: Japan Pavilion (Giardini, Venice)
Artist: Ei Arakawa-Nash
Co-curators:

• Mizuki Takahashi (Director / Chief Curator, CHAT – Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile, Hong Kong)
• Risa Horikawa (Senior Curator / Head of Curatorial & Collections, National Gallery Singapore)
  Organizer / Commissioner: The Japan Foundation
  Official Website: https://venezia-biennale-japan.jpf.go.jp/j/

About the Commissioner

The organizer and commissioner of the Japan Pavilion exhibition at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia is the Japan Foundation (JF), an Independent Administrative Institution. The Japan Foundation is Japan’s only specialized organization dedicated to carrying out comprehensive international cultural exchange programs across all regions of the world.

Established in 1972 as a special legal entity under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Japan Foundation became an Independent Administrative Institution on October 1, 2003. With 26 offices in 25 countries worldwide, the Foundation works under the mission of “expanding Japan’s circle of friends and nurturing bonds with the world.” Through a wide range of programs and information-sharing initiatives, it creates opportunities for people-to-people exchange and fosters mutual understanding between the people of Japan and communities around the globe.

About Tax Deductions

Please note that contributions to this project are not eligible for tax deductions. Thank you for your understanding.

Japan Pavilion 70th Anniversary Birthday Card Course

¥5,000 — Limited to 50

Around your birthday, you will receive a handwritten celebratory airmail postcard from Ei Arakawa-Nash’s twin babies in the United States.
Please be sure to enter your birthday when making your contribution.
Cards will be sent to those whose birthdays that fall between April 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027.

Select Birthday Card Course

Artist-Parents Course

¥35,000 — Limited to 30

A large, functional, and refined tote bag suitable for everyday use—whether you are parenting or not. The bag features the text “Artist-Parents.”
Produced in collaboration with the fashion brand ANTEPRIMA and scheduled for completion around summer 2026.

Select Artist-Parents Course

“Grass Baby, Moon Baby” Doll Adoption Course

¥50,000 — Limited to 50

We are looking for adoptive parents who would like to welcome these baby dolls, which will be featured as the main element of our artwork at the Venice Biennale, into their homes as part of their collection. Delivery is scheduled for the latter half of 2027. International shipping costs will be an additional charge. You will receive an email from us requesting information from you following your purchase.

Select “Grass Baby, Moon Baby” Doll Adoption Course

Isamu Noguchi Museum Course

¥500,000 — Limited to 5

You will receive an Akari lamp designed by Isamu Noguchi when he represented the United States at the Venice Biennale in 1986.
This will be a special limited edition, with the twins’ handprints stamped onto the lamp body.

Isamu Noguchi Museum Course

Perform at the Japan Pavilion Course

¥1,000,000 — Limited to 1

We are seeking one participant who would like to perform or organize a performance at the Japan Pavilion during the Venice Biennale.
In collaboration with Ei Arakawa-Nash, you will co-plan a performance project to take place during the exhibition period in the summer or autumn.

Please note:

• Final selection will be made after a prior interview and review of the proposed content with the artist.
• In addition to the contribution amount, you will be responsible for covering the actual costs associated with the performance.
• Please be sure to contact Tsundoku, Inc. before making your contribution

Select Perform at the Japan Pavilion Course

Supporter Course

Your name will be listed on a special page on the official website operated by Tsundoku, Inc.

• Listing period: Updated weekly during the crowdfunding period; your name will remain listed for as long as the project continues.
• Format: Name listing only (text only)

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