Events
Talk | Art is New Value
Date: May 30 (Sat) 15:00–16:00
Venue: Congrès Square Grand Green Osaka Room L
Speaker: Toyama Masamichi (CEO, The Chain Museum Inc. / CEO, Smiles Co., Ltd.)
Moderator: Matsuo Ryoichi (Director, APCA / Director, TEZUKAYAMA GALLERY)
Capacity: Approx. 50 *Advance reservations are prioritized. A valid fair admission ticket is required.
Owning works of art is not simply an act of consumption; it is also a way of supporting artists’ creative activities and passing the culture of our time on to posterity. The meaning of a collection extends beyond economic value, with lasting value in terms of education, expanding the ways we think, and passing on values from one generation to the next.
In this talk, we welcome Toyama Masamichi, founder of Smiles Co., Ltd. and currently director of The Chain Museum, which operates ArtSticker and other platforms. Drawing on his own approach to and experience of collecting, the discussion will focus on contemporary art, society, and what it means to make art a part of everyday life.
Toyama will also discuss the wide range of ventures he has been involved in over the years, and how forms of collecting and patronage of the arts can generate new cycles of cultural activity.
Through this talk event, we aim to reexamine what it means to own and support art, and to consider its place in our lives and in society, while also offering an opportunity to think about new modes of value in contemporary art.
■□ Guest Profile ■□
Toyama Masamichi
(CEO, The Chain Museum Inc. / Representative Director, Smiles Co., Ltd.)
Born in Tokyo in 1962. After graduating from Keio University and working at Mitsubishi Corporation, Toyama founded Smiles Co., Ltd. in 2000, launching businesses including Soup Stock Tokyo, Pass the Baton, and Hakejoyu Noriben Yamanobori. He also runs The Chain Museum and ArtSticker. Toyama serves as a specially appointed professor at Joshibi University of Art and Design and has participated as an artist in events including the Tokyo Biennale. He is also active as a performer, appearing at festivals and live events, on his YouTube channel Shinshu no Rojin (New Type of Old Man), and his poetry band Shinshu no Immigrations B (New Type of Immigrations B).