Fumio Nanjo

Graduated from Faculty of Economics (1972) and Faculty of Letters (Philosophy, Aesthetics & Science of Arts, 1977), Keio University. President, CEO of N&A inc. (Formerly “Nanjo and Associates”/1990-2002, 2014-) after working for prominent cultural organizations such as an officer of the Japan Foundation (1978-1986), ICA Nagoya as Director (1986-1990).

With regards to museum works, Nanjo formerly served as Mori Art Museum’s Deputy Director (2002-2006), Director (Nov. 2006-2019), and he is now serving as Senior Advisor (January 2020-) in Tokyo and in Aomori, General Advisor of Towada Art Center (2020-), Senior Advisor of Hirosaki Contemporary Museum of Art (2020-), and in Gunma, Executive Director of Art Maebashi（May,2023-）. He is also serving as the board of Advisor of Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, Manila(2016-) as well as the board of Director of Singapore Art Museum(2020-).

The notable positions in International exhibitions he has assumed to date are; Commissioner of APERTO 88″, 43rd Venice Biennale(1988), Commissioner and Juror, “Carnegie International” (Pittsburgh/1991), Curator, The 2nd Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art(Brisbane/1996), Commissioner of the Japan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (1997), Commissioner at the Taipei Biennale (1998), Member of Jury Committee of the Turner Prize (London/1998), Co-Curator of the 3rd Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (Brisbane/1999), Member of the Selection Committee of the Sydney Biennale (2000), Art Specialist of the Japan Pavilion of the Hanover Exposition (2000), Artistic Co-Director of the Yokohama Triennale 2001, Tokyo-Section Co-Curator of the São Paolo Biennial (2002), Tokyo-Section Co-Curator, San Paulo International Biennale of Architecture & Design (2003), Selector of the Artes Mundi Prize in Wales (2004), Jury Member of the Golden Lion Prize of the Venice Biennale (2005), Artistic Director of the Singapore Biennale (2006 & 2008), General Director of Kenpoku Art 2016 (Ibaragi Pref.), Curatorial Director of Honolulu Biennale (2017) and　Director of ART for SDGs: Kitakyushu ART Festival Imagining Our Future (2021).

Achievements in curating national and international exhibitions include；
●As an officer of Japan Foundation(1978-86):
“Thoughts and Action” (Laforet Museum, etc./1982), “Reconstruction: Avant-Garde Art in Japan 1945-1965” (MoMA,Oxford, etc./1986).
●As Director of ICA Nagoya and his tenure at ICA(1986-1990):
“Yannis Kounellis”, “Giulio Paolini”(1987); “Mario Merz”（1988）, “Edward Ruscha“（1988）,“Andy Goldsworthy” (Asahi Gallery/1988), “Daniel Buran”(1989), “Against Nature- Japanese Art in the Eighties” (San Francisco MoMA, etc./1989), “On Kawara: Again and Against“ (1989).
●As President, CEO of Nanjo & Associates(1990-2002):
“Christian Boltanski” (ICA Nagoya/1991), “A Hybrid Garden- Six Contemporary Artists in Japan” (Bigi Art Space/1991), “A Cabinet of Signs- Contemporary Art from Post-modern Japan” (Tate Gallery Liverpool and others/1991). “Invisible Nature” (Royal Garden of the Prague Castle and others/1993-4), “Yoko Ono: Endangered Species 2319-2322” (Spiral/Wacol Art Center/1993), “Of The Human Condition” (Spiral/Wacol Art Center and others/1994), “Open Air ’94 Out of Bounds: Contemporary Art in the Seascape” (Benesse House/1994), “TransCulture” (Palazzo Giustinian Lolin, Venezia/1995), “Immutability and Fashion: Chinese Contemporary Art in the Midst Changing Surroundings” (Kirin Art Space Harajuku and others/1997), “Arte Italiana 1945-1995: Il visible e l’invisible” (Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art and others/1997-8). ”Spiral TV”(Spiral/Wacol Art Center/1999), Balloon Art Festival “HOT AIR” -Floating, Inflating, Touchable- (Granship,Shizuoka/1999), “Nobuyoshi Araki Alive” (Taipei Fine Arts Museum/1999).
●Either as Deputy Director or as Director at Mori Art Museum (2002-2019), the exhibitions Nanjo was actively involved in curating include:
“Kusama Yayoi: Exhibition Kusamatrix”(2004), “Archilab, New Experiments in Architecture, Art and the City, 1950-2005”(2004-2005), “Le Corbusier: Art and Architecture – A Life of Creativity”(2007), ”Chalo! India: A New Era of Indian Art” (2008-2009), “Medicine and Art: Imaging a Future for Life and Love – Leonardo da Vinci, Okyo, Damien Hirst”(2009-2010), “Metabolism: The City of the Future”(2011-2012), French Window: Looking at the Contemporary Art Through the Marcel Duchamp Prize”(2012), “Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World”(2012), “All You Need Is Love: From Chagall to Kusama and Hatsune Miku”(2013), “Simple Forms: Contemplating Beauty”(2015), “The Universe and Art: Princess Kaguya, Leonardo da Vinci, teamLab”(2016), “Japan in Architecture: Genealogies of Its Transformation”(2018), and “Future and the Arts: AI, Robot, Cities, Life – How Humanity Will Live Tomorrow” (2019-2020).
●As President, CEO of N and A Inc.(2014-):
“Throughout Time: The Sence of Beauty” (World Heritage Site Njojo Castle /2019),”The Material-Its Form and Spirit” (gallery de kasuga,etc./2020), “Yuko Shiraishi -Magnetic Day-”(N&A Art SITE/2022), “Rikako Kawauchi -line&color-”(N&A ArtSITE/2023)

Nanjo has also served as a consultant on several public art and corporate art projects including “Shinjuku I-LAND” Public Art Projects (Tokyo/1995), Yumeoooka Art Project (Yokohama/1999), Hakata Riverain Art Project (Fukuoka/1999), Art Project for Obayashi Corporation Head Office (Tokyo/1999), and VIVO City Art Project (Singapore/2006). He was in charge of the general secretary of the annual conference of CIMAM (International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art/1994) and AICA(International Association of Art Critics/1999).
He was involved in planning and supervising the establishment of two institutions in northern Japan; Towada Art Center and Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art.

Administrative works (members or positions) include; Creative City Study Group (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) /2011-12), “Cool Japan” Council of Experts from the Public and Private Sectors (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) /2012), Expert Group on the State of Public Relations and Cultural Diplomacy (Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)/2006-14), JAXA Pilot Mission Selection Committee for Cultural, Humanities and Social Sciences Applications (JAXA/2012-13), Research and Study Group on Improving Public Relations at National Cultural Institutions（Agency for Cultural Affairs /2013-14）, Selected Cooperation Committee for “Culture City of East Asia” (Agency for Cultural Affairs/2014), Study Group on Prospects for a ‘Fab Society'(Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications/2014), Study Group on Overseas Dissemination of Contemporary Art (Agency for Cultural Affairs/2014), “Cool Japan” Movement Promotion Council (Cabinet Office/2014), Exchange of views on the networking of museums and art galleries in Tokyo(Tokyo Metropolitan Government/2014), Cultural Policy Subcommittee of the Council for Cultural Affairs (Agency for Cultural Affairs/2015-16), “JAPAN HOUSE” Experts Advisory Council (Ministry of Foreign Affairs/August 2015-), Expert Advisory Group on the Preservation and Public Accessibility of The Museum of Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan（Imperial Household Agency/Dec.2017-June 2018）, Study Group on Art and Economic Society (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry/2022), Advisor for Culture and Arts Strategy (Maebashi City/Apr.2023-)

Lectures and critiques of artworks at universities in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Kanazawa, Yamagata and Kyoto, including the Art Management Chair (1991-2013), the Art Management Graduate Chair (2011-14) and the Mori Building Endowed Chair “Art and Society” established at the Global Security Research Institute (2010-14) at Keio University.

Publications include; “From Art to the City, a Record of 15 Years as an Independent Curator” (1997), “Asian Contemporary Art Report: China, India, Middle East and Japan” (2010) and “A Life with Art” (2012).

Member of International Committee of ICOM for Museums and Member of International Association of Art Critics (AICA). He was awarded Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for Fiscal Year 2007 and Officier de l’Ordre des Artes et des Lettres by the Republic of France in 2016.