Celebrating Women Artists: Japan's Five Nominees for Women to Watch 2027

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, D.C., regularly showcases the works of female artists from around the globe through its bi-annual exhibition series titled Women to Watch. This exhibition aims to elevate the visibility of women artists on an international scale. Scheduled for April 2027, the 8th edition coincides with NMWA's 40th anniversary and will focus on the A Book Arts Revolution theme, reflecting on the contemporary significance of book arts as collected by the museum over the years.

Recently, five exceptional artists have been nominated from Japan through a careful selection process led by Yukie Kamiya, the chief curator of the National Art Center, Tokyo and the consulting curator for the 2027 exhibition at NMWA. The selected nominees are:

- Saya Irie (based in Hiroshima)
- Sachiko Kazama (based in Tokyo)
- Aiko Miyanaga (based in Kyoto)
- Hanako Murakami (based in Paris)
- Tomoko Yoneda (based in London)

Final Selection Process

The final selection for the exhibition will involve the following steps:
1. Committees from various countries and regions will recommend several candidates.
2. NMWA's curator team will make a comprehensive judgment based on international exhibition criteria.
3. One artist will be chosen from each participating country or region.

Regardless of their selection for the final exhibition, the five nominated Japanese artists will be recognized as pivotal contributors to the international art scene, and will receive independent evaluation and support.

Newly Established Support Fund for Nominees

Starting with the 2027 exhibition, NMWA will introduce a new support fund aimed at facilitating the ongoing creative activities of the nominated artists. The fund will provide an amount equivalent to roughly two weeks of average income based on public statistics from each country. For Japan, this amount has been set at 242,000 yen, based on various statistical references including the National Tax Agency's salary survey.

Upcoming Domestic Exhibition

Starting from March 4, 2026, an exhibition featuring the five nominated Japanese artists will be organized in collaboration with AND COLLECTION, located in Omotesando Hills. Further details will be announced as they become available.

Nominee Profiles

- Saya Irie: Born in Okayama, Saya graduated from Hiroshima City University with a master’s degree in art. She also studied at the Berlin Weissensee School of Art. Using a unique technique that erases two-dimensional images—such as printed materials and everyday objects—she creates sculptures, exploring the relationship between representation and matter within visual culture. She held a solo exhibition titled Pure Innocence - Labyrinth of Love at the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art in 2019.

- Sachiko Kazama: A graduate of Musashino Art University, Sachiko focuses on woodblock printing, employing a primarily black palette to visualize history and social structures through meticulous research. She was awarded the Award for Creative Tradition in 2016.

- Aiko Miyanaga: Born in Kyoto, Aiko received her master’s in fine arts from Tokyo University of the Arts. Her installations use materials like naphthalene and glass to visualize time, based on the theme of a world that continues to exist while undergoing change. She has numerous domestic and international exhibitions to her credit and was the recipient of the new artist award from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2020.

- Hanako Murakami: After graduating from the University of Tokyo with a specialization in aesthetic arts, Hanako continued her studies at Tokyo University of the Arts’ graduate program in film studies. She has trained across Europe, exploring the history of visual media through classical photographic techniques, such as autochrome. Notable exhibitions include Critérium 96 at the Mito Art Museum in 2019 and du désir de voir at the Pola Museum in 2022.

- Tomoko Yoneda: Tomoko studied photography at the University of Illinois Chicago and the Royal College of Art. Gaining international acclaim for her serene depictions of war sites and disaster-stricken areas, she explores the relationship between memory and place. Her works have been featured in prestigious venues like the Venice Biennale in 2007 and the Shanghai Biennale in 2018.

NMWA and Women to Watch

Founded in 1983 by Wilhelmina Cole Holladay and her husband, NMWA is a pioneering international art museum that focuses on the works of female artists. It revisits unexplored areas of art history and works towards promoting diversity through the arts. The Women to Watch program collaborates with committees worldwide to introduce the next generation of talents and significant activities to the international community. In the previous round (the 7th edition happening in 2024), Ai Hasegawa represented Japan and was featured in major foreign media outlets like The Washington Post and The Guardian.

NMWA Japan Committee

Since its inception in 2021, the NMWA Japan Committee has worked to support international outreach for Japanese female artists and promote diversity through art. An exhibition with government-appointed artists is planned for March 2026. The committee also continues to engage in awareness-raising activities such as gender surveys and the #5WomenArtists campaign during Women’s History Month.

Contact Information

For inquiries, please reach out to:
NMWA Japan Committee Office
Contact Form: NMWA Inquiry
Email: [email protected]
Website: NMWA Japan

For further details: In Time Out Magazine’s Top 10 U.S. Museums for 2025, NMWA was listed alongside MET, MoMA, the National Gallery, and Whitney.

Organizers

NMWA Japan Committee

Sponsors (in alphabetical order)

ITO EN (North America) Inc, SMBC Global Foundation, Kikkoman Corporation, Suntory Holdings Limited, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Daiwa Securities Group, Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company