Art Aquarium, an aquarium art exhibition by art aquarium artist Hidetomo Kimura, will be held again this year. This year, it will be held at three venues: Nihonbashi, Nagoya, and Shanghai. The Tokyo venue will be at Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall from July 6th to September 24th, and the Nagoya venue will be at Matsuzakaya Museum of Art from July 21st to September 16th. Ahead of the opening, a press preview was held at Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall on July 5th.



"Art Aquarium" is a world-renowned aquarium art exhibition that Japan boasts. Thousands of ornamental fish, primarily goldfish and koi carp—epic Japanese beauties—gracefully dance in beautiful aquarium tanks designed with a Japanese motif, integrating cutting-edge performance technology such as light, video, music, and fragrance. To date, the exhibition has attracted a total of 8.35 million visitors.

This year, the exhibition will be held in three locations, tracing the roots of goldfish: Nihonbashi in Tokyo, where goldfish culture flourished during the Edo period; Nagoya, a famous goldfish production center; and, for the first time, Shanghai, China, the birthplace of goldfish.

"Super Oiran," the largest artwork in the history of "Art Aquarium."
The Tokyo venue is based on the concept of "True Japan." Based on the theme of "Edo - Coolness of Goldfish," goldfish were a part of popular culture in Nihonbashi during the Edo period, and the culture of cooling off by admiring goldfish has been revived in modern times, creating an extraordinary world of "coolness" that makes you feel as if you have wandered into the red-light district of the Edo period. A total of approximately 8,000 ornamental fish, mainly goldfish and nishikigoi, will dance gracefully through the Japanese-style artwork.

"Nishikigoi" are also known as swimming jewels and are beloved as part of Japanese culture and art, with some of the most expensive fish being priced at 10 million yen each. The finest varieties from Yamakoshi Village, Niigata Prefecture, where "Nishikigoi" originated, will be procured to adorn the venue in a dazzling display.

"Earth Aquarium Japonism" where Nishikigoi carp dance wildly in a globe-shaped aquarium with a diameter of 1.5m.



"Art Aquarium" where approximately 3,000 goldfish dance wildly in the air, the largest work in its history, "Super Oiran" The exhibition will feature new works being shown in Japan for the first time, including "Eartheaquarium Japonism," a work in which colored carp dance wildly in a 1.5m diameter spherical aquarium modeled after the earth, "Kingyo in the Sky," which brings to life the legend of a wealthy merchant from the Edo period who built a glass aquarium on the ceiling so that people could look up and admire the goldfish, and "Giant Screen of Emperor's Restoration of Rule," a large-scale work approximately 5.4m wide in which images depicting the transitions in Japanese art history are projected onto an aquarium with a folding screen motif.

"Kingyo in the Sky"

"Giant Imperial Rule Restoration Goldfish Folding Screen"
From 7pm onwards, the venue changes into a "Night Aquarium," where you can enjoy drinks while viewing the artworks. Depending on the day, there will be a variety of traditional Japanese performing arts, such as Noh, Kyogen, Kyoto dance by Gion maiko and geisha, and the magnificent dance of courtesans performed by popular theater, as well as a number of special stage performances that you can't normally see, such as DJ sets and jazz bands that are popular both in Japan and overseas. Details of the performers for the "Night Aquarium" and the special traditional performing arts stage will be announced on the official "Art Aquarium" website (http://artaquarium.jp) as soon as they are decided.


At the Nagoya venue, popular artworks will be making their first appearance in the Tokai region, including "Ooku," a complex approximately 3m wide installation that depicts "Ooku," a symbol of Edo, where the culture of appreciating goldfish flourished, and "Kimonorium," a work that embeds a kimono, the pinnacle of Kyoto's traditional "Kyoto Yuzen" craft, in an aquarium tank and expresses the kimono's pattern using goldfish and 3D projection mapping. This will be the first time the event has been held in Nagoya in four years, and will bring you an even more powerful world of "Art Aquarium."

"Kimonorium," an artwork to be exhibited at the Nagoya venue
Actress Aya Ueto has been appointed as the exhibition's public relations ambassador. In her role as public relations ambassador, Ueto will be promoting the exhibition's appeal on the official website and elsewhere.
Also this year, "Art Aquarium" will be making its first appearance in Shanghai, China, the birthplace of goldfish. From October 25th to February 17th, the exhibition will be held at Sky Arena 94, an observation deck located at the very top of the 101-story, 492-meter-tall Shanghai World Financial Centre in Lujiazui, Pudong District, Shanghai.

Early bird tickets, which will give you a discount on admission to the Tokyo venue and Nagoya Kaijo, will go on sale from 10am on June 1st at Seven Tickets and multi-copy machines in 7-Eleven stores nationwide. Date and time designated admission tickets, which will give you priority entry on a specified date and time, are scheduled to go on sale from July 1st. Ticket details will be announced on the official website (http://artaquarium.jp) as soon as they are decided.

With elaborate presentations and a number of new works, this exhibition continues to evolve, pursuing a new worldview every year. Why not enjoy the fantastical world of "Art Aquarium" this summer?