GO FOR KOGEI 2024

Akimoto is an art critic, professor emeritus at Tokyo University of the Arts, special director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, and a distinguished professor at Tainan National University of the Arts. Born in 1955 in Tokyo, he holds a BA in fine art from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Akimoto first became involved in art projects on Naoshima in 1991. After serving as the director of the Chichu Art Museum (2004–2006) and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (2007–2016), he taught as a professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts while serving as the director of the University Art Museum (2015–2021). From 2017 through 2023, he acted as the director of Nerima Art Museum. He has served as the executive director and special curator of Go for Kogei since 2021.
His past exhibitions include The Standard (Naoshima, 2001), Naoshima Standard 2 (Naoshima, 2006–2007), the first three iterations of the International Triennale of Kogei in Kanazawa (Kanazawa and Caotun, Taiwan; 2010–2017), Art Crafting Towards the Future (Kanazawa, 2012), Japanese Kogei: Future Forward (New York, 2015), Yu-ichi Inoue 1916–1985—La calligraphie libérée at Japonismes 2018 (Paris and Albi, France), and Art as It Is: Expressions from the Obscure (Tokyo, 2020). His publications include Art thinking (Aato shiko, Tokyo: Purejidentosha, 2019).

Ura is the chair of NPO Syuto Kanazawa and the executive director of Ura Architects. He was born in Kanazawa in 1966. After graduating from university, he worked at a construction company before joining Ura Architects in 1993 and attaining his current position in 2006. In addition to the Kanazawa headquarters, the company has opened offices in Tokyo and Dalian, China, and prides itself on detail-oriented design practices rooted in the Hokuriku region. Ura founded NPO Syuto Kanazawa in 2006 and became the chair the same year. The NPO, which currently has 260 members, promotes culture-driven community development through initiatives devoted to thinking (learning and formulating proposals) and action (project creation).
Ura’s activities include the planning and operation of the Kogei Art Fair Kanazawa, the Kogei Architecture Exhibition (Kanazawa), and Kutanism (Nomi and Komatsu). Ura’s architectural projects include the Bokian: A Tea House in Fluctuation (Berlin), the Kanazawa Port Cruise Terminal, and the Tsujike Teien (Kanazawa). His past awards include the iF Design Award, Japan Association of Architectural Firms Award, JIA Twenty-Five Year Award, Good Design Award, Kukan Design Award, Ishikawa Design Award, and the Kanazawa City Cultural Activity Award.