The Mori Art Museum soars as a dynamic cultural beacon in Tokyo, dedicated to presenting contemporary art that challenges boundaries and kindles meaningful dialogue. It is here that visionary Director Mami Kataoka guides with a clear mission to illuminate new values for society through art, engaging with complex social, political, and environmental issues. Situated high above the cityscape in Roppongi Hills, the beloved museum cultivates deeply powerful experiences that invite visitors to reconsider their relationship to the world and to one another.
With Whitewall, the Director imparts an emphasis on collaboration and education, where the museum serves as an organic platform for emerging and established voices in a rapidly shifting global landscape.
Mami Kataoka on Art and Urban Life in Tokyo
Photo by Shintsubo Kenshu, courtesy of DirecPhoto by Shintsubo Kenshu, courtesy of Director Mami Kataoka and Mori Art Museum.tor Mami Kataoka and Mori Art Museum.
Installation view of “Forest of Thoughts,” “The Architecture of Sou Fujimoto: Primordial Future Forest,” 2025, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo. Photo by Yashiro Tetsuya, courtesy of Mori Art Museum, Tokyo.
WHITEWALL: How does Tokyo itself shape the exhibitions and experiences you create?
MAMI KATAOKA: Since its opening, the Mori Art Museum has pursued the motto “Art & Life,” exploring how art and culture can become part of urban life. Open from 10 a. m. to 10 p. m., we make it possible for people to incorporate museum visits into their diverse lifestyles. Our location on the 53rd floor allows visitors to step away from the city’s hustle and bustle and encounter contemporary art in an exclusive space. Tokyo’s vast urban landscape from the 53rd floor offers a bird’s-eye view of this metropolitan city as an urban space, making visitors conscious of their own position within it.
WW: How do you see Japanese contemporary art influencing—and being influenced by—international trends today?
MK: Now that contemporary art has expanded so globally, it is difficult to identify what “international trends” actually are. I sense that works sought after by biennials, collected by museums, and prized by the market are gradually diverging. Each region has its own distinct history, politics, society, and culture, we also see localized trends. When we consider the influence of Japanese contemporary art, artists like Kusama, Murakami, and Nara transcend borders, and globally known artists are also recognized in Japan. At the Mori Art Museum, we have been attentive not only to Japan but also to the development of art in the Asia-Pacific region. Currently, we are researching how Asian diasporic communities have preserved cultural traditions while traversing physical borders.
Japanese Art in a Global Context
Wada Reijiro, “MITTAG,” 2025, Glass, brass, bronze, and brandy, 238 x 212 x 79 cm, production support by SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, Tokyo, courtesy of SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, Tokyo. Installation view of “Roppongi Crossing 2025: What Passes Is Time. We Are Eternal.,” Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2025-2026. Photo by Takehisa Naoki.
WW: How do you decide which global or local issues the museum should confront at any given moment?
MK: Since 2020, we have held exhibitions on themes such as gender and aging, well-being, ecology, and new technologies. When we research and observe art movements around the world, the next topics for discussion emerge naturally. Even if an issue is local or personal, we remain conscious of themes that can also be shared as global concerns.
WW: What strategies do you see as essential for helping Japanese artists navigate both domestic and global platforms?
MK: Presenting works on the international stage opens doors to the next stage of development. First, it is necessary for the Mori Art Museum to continue being a platform for international dissemination. As with “Roppongi Crossing,” by co-curating with overseas curators, we aim to create opportunities for Japanese artists to gain international exposure. What the National Center for Art Research, Japan, is currently implementing—inviting directors of major overseas biennials and triennials to research Japanese artists, and providing financial support when Japanese artists are selected—is an important strategy amid the proliferation of international exhibitions. The “Mori Art Award,” established by the late Yoshiko Mori through the Mori Contemporary Art Foundation, represents an important initiative for enhancing the international recognition of Japanese artists. By implementing such strategies from multiple angles, I believe overall visibility will increase.
“We remain conscious of themes that can also be shared as global concerns,”
-Mami Kataoka.
WW: How has your own vision of curatorial leadership evolved since you became Director?
MK: I have been developing a curatorial vision and implementation methods that engage not only experts but also our broad general audience, while remaining attuned to global contemporary art discourse and world concerns. To deepen art and to broaden it—we do not compromise on either. I discuss the specific forms this takes with the curatorial and public relations/marketing teams. Each time is a challenge and a learning experience. Questions that have no fixed answers make the challenge worthwhile.
Connecting Visitors to a Larger World
Beeple, “HUMAN ONE,” 2021. Four video screens (16k resolution), polished aluminum metal, mahogany wood frame, media server, and endless video with corresponding dynamic nonfungible token, 220 x 114.8 x 114.8 cm. Photo by Takehisa Naoki, courtesy ofMori Art Museum, Tokyo.
WW: How do you imagine the Mori Art Museum evolving as a site for reflection and action?
MK: Since opening, the Mori Art Museum has been actively implementing learning programs. In 2010, we established “Urgent Talk,” inviting guests from Japan and abroad to have various discussions about urgent issues—we have already held 50 sessions. In 2025, we set up a “Learning Room” inside the museum where visitors can reflect on their experiences after viewing exhibitions or participate in hands-on creative activities. We created it for children, but people of all ages are enjoying it.
WW: Looking forward, what themes do you hope the Mori Art Museum will champion?
MK: The world continues to change in every era. While following those changes, I want to maintain a perspective that delves into the essence of humanity and the universe. Political and social turmoil is rapidly expanding, and such issues frequently appear in contemporary artworks. From the perspectives of gender, ethnicity, race, and region, contemporary art has constantly revealed and amplified minority viewpoints, and the momentum in this direction remains strong. I also sense the need to fundamentally reexamine the essence of humanity itself. The question of how to create a sustainable society, including care for the global environment, will remain a crucial priority.
“I hope that visitors… will have an experience that connects them to the entire Earth, universe, and all of human history,”
-Mami Kataoka.
WW: What experiences or insights do you hope visitors carry with them?
MK: Although online exhibition viewing has expanded since the pandemic, museums remain fundamentally real and physical spatial experiences. I want the Mori Art Museum to be a place where visitors can engage with world history, culture, society, politics, and the vast universe. I hope that visitors, from the 53rd floor, will have an experience that connects them to the entire Earth, universe, and all of human history, and that the Mori Art Museum will be a place where imagination and creative visions expand as they contemplate the future ahead.
