In 2025, Japan's art scene is set to dazzle with a diverse array of exhibitions. Experience an immersive installation from Kyoto by Mika Ninagawa, the enduring street art of Keith Haring, and the life and work of Tsuguharu Foujita, who shared his life with cats. Solo exhibitions by these three artists, each distinct in era and artistic method, promise to captivate audiences with fresh perspectives and innovative approaches. Here, we highlight the must-see exhibitions of 2025 as our first selection.

Three distinctive exhibitions are opening across Japan in 2025. From spatial designs utilizing digital technology and the innovation of street culture to painterly expressions capturing intimate daily life, each exhibition offers a unique lens through which to appreciate the artists' works.

First, we turn our attention to the "Mika Ninagawa Exhibition with EiM: Light of the Other Shore, Shadows of This Shore" (until March 30) at the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art. This ambitious project draws inspiration from the thousand-year capital, brought to life by Mika Ninagawa, also a Kyoto International Tourism Ambassador, and the creative team EiM.

This exhibition marks the largest scale for Ninagawa in the Kansai region to date. She collaborates with EiM, a creative team comprising specialists from various fields, including data scientist Dr. Hiroyasu Miyata, production designer ENZO, creative director Isao Kuwana, and lighting director Koshirou Ueno, to explore new forms of expression.

The exhibition uses contrasting elements—"light colors" expressing the interplay of light and color in everyday life, and "shadow colors" rendered through shadow and hue—to create spaces where the boundaries between artist and viewer, self and other, blur.

Ten pieces, all constructed solely from real-world photographs and videos without any CG, transport viewers to another realm. These include a work expressing the sparkle of life with approximately 1,600 crystal garlands, and installations that incorporate the cityscape of Kyoto visible outside the windows.