The first wave of participating artists has been announced for PARASOPHIA: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015, an art event taking place from March 7 to May 10, 2015. The event will introduce cutting-edge works and artistic expressions by approximately 40 artists from Japan and abroad. The artists announced this time include Cai Guo-Qiang, known worldwide for his dynamic artworks and unique projects, such as the fireworks production at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics and his "gunpowder paintings," Berlin-based unit Hoefner/Sachs, which uses artistic methods incorporating radical humor to express issues of architecture and living in urban environments, Ishibashi Yoshimasa, who is not only a film director but also the leader of the group "KyupiKyupi," which combines art, music, and video, and also produces artworks and performances, Pipilotti Rist, who has created many large-scale video installations incorporating furniture and everyday items, artist William Kentridge, known worldwide for his hand-drawn animation films made from stop-motion drawings, also known as "moving drawings," and Susan Phillips, who has created many sound installations. Philipsz, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, who creates performances and video works that explore the relationship between image and fiction using a variety of media, and Yanagi Miwara 8, known for their work on women living in modern society, such as their photo series of elevator girls in uniforms.

Pipilotti Rist and Susan Phillips will also be participating in the Open Research Programme to be held in April. The Open Research Programme is an open research programme conducted in preparation for the art festival, and allows you to hear directly from the artists, who will be visiting Japan to prepare for and conduct research, about their ideas and activities.