Continuing its wave of Asian consolidation, Pace Gallery announced a new gallery to open next year in Tokyo, Japan.
The new gallery will be located in the Azubudai Hills area, an up-and-coming region in Tokyo. The building, which will be designed by Thomas Heatherwick, will be spread across 5500 sqft. The building will have three floors, with two of them being indoor galleries occupying 3,000 sqft while the remaining area would act as an outdoor terrace. The interior of the building would be designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto.
Japa, along with South Korea, has made South East Asia the new emerging hub of blue-chip art. In July this year, a new art fair called Tokyo Gendai was launched. The fair attracted 75 exhibitors, many of them blue-chip, from worldwide. Sensing the role Japan would play in the global art scene, Pace Gallery has decided to be there when the explosion happens. This is also not the first time Pace has been ahead of the curve. Seoul, South Korea witnessed major buzz in 2022 with the Frieze Seoul event. However, Pace had already opened a spot in the city in 2017 (which they expanded further in 2022).
Speaking about the new place, Marc Glimcher (CEO, Pace) said: “Japan is and has always been a key city in the international cultural scene. Over the past few years, Tokyo’s increasing importance in the Asian art ecosystem has become even clearer. As one of the great capitals of the world it is a place where ancient and modern cultures combine with an incredibly vibrant contemporary art scene.” While the gallery is scheduled to open next spring, it is not yet announced who will lead the location or head the inaugural exhibition.
