Mori Art Award 2026 Grand Prize Exhibition: Katayama Mari

The Mori Contemporary Art Foundation (MoriCAF) and the Mori Art Museum will hold an exhibition showcasing the work of Katayama Mari, winner of the Mori Art Award’s inaugural Grand Prize, from Saturday, October 31, 2026, to Sunday, March 28, 2027.

The biennial Mori Art Award was established in May 2025 by the MoriCAF. The Japan-based Nomination Committee first creates a shortlist of mid-career Japanese artists, or artists with strong connections to Japan, based on exceptional exhibitions and works from the previous two years. The International Jury selects four finalists after reviewing the shortlisted artists’ submission materials and determines the Grand Prize winner following an in-person screening process. The Grand Prize recipient is awarded ¥10 million and the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition jointly organized by the MoriCAF and the Mori Art Museum. The other three finalists receive prize money of ¥1 million each.

The International Jury highly praised Katayama Mari’s work for the compelling ways it expands the boundaries of her own body. She achieves this through analogue photography and handicraft practices such as embroidery and needlework. She is expected to achieve further success on the international art scene. This exhibition will feature an installation that includes the “tree of life” series (2024-), Katayama’s recent work that is now part of the collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and served as a key reason for her selection.

Katayama Mari

Born in 1987 and currently based in Gunma
Using hand-sewn objects as a starting point, Katayama creates self-portraits, video works and installations that serve as lenses reflecting multilayered social structures, roles, and the landscapes where they harmoniously resonate. Through these combinations, she questions normative societal concepts and boundaries, such as nature, artifice, and correctness. In addition to her art practice, she launched the High Heel Project in 2011 to advocate for the freedom of choice. Wearing high heels custom-made for prosthetic legs, Katayama is active in a wide range of fields, including singing, modeling, and public speaking. Major exhibitions include Flesh and Bones: The Art of Anatomy at the ArtScience Museum (Singapore, 2026), Photography Now: The Parasol Foundation Women in Photography Project at the Victoria & Albert Museum (London, 2025-27), Performer and Participant at the Tate Modern (London, 2023), Home Again at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (Paris, 2021), the 58th Venice Biennale (2019), and Roppongi Crossing 2016: My Body, Your Voice at the Mori Art Museum (Tokyo). Her monograph, Synthesis, was also published in 2025.
https://marikatayama.com/

Mori Contemporary Art Foundation (MoriCAF)

To promote and further develop Japanese contemporary art’s status in the international art community, the MoriCAF organizes a residency program for overseas curators to Japan and an award for mid-career artists.
https://mori-caf.jp/en
Instagram：@moricaf

Mori Art Award 2026

https://mori-caf.jp/en-art-award/