WATER AND ART
Our company, WATER AND ART, is so named in the hope that art will exist as long as people live and want to be responsible for the creation of art that inspires people and brings joy and hope to their hearts and minds.
丗｜SEI is the name of a 100-year-old machiya townhouse which houses the WATER AND ART office and also serves as a residence. 丗 is an old Chinese character meaning “world.”
This name expresses our intention to plan, coordinate, and consult on projects that focus on the creation of art, and to become a place worthy of passing on to the next generation, along with all of the wisdom, skill, and connections that are nurtured over time.
Kayo Tokuda, Director
WATER AND ART Inc.
photo: Noboru Morikawa
丗｜SEI photo: Kenichi Suzuki
Achievements and Projects
Exhibition planning and management
Kyoto University of the Arts: Entrance Lounge Exhibitions
Art project planning, coordination, and consulting
Craft project planning, coordination, and consulting (- 2020)
Art travel consulting and coordination
Aimed at artists and collectors from overseas who want to know more about Japan with a comprehensive focus on art, architecture, crafts, food, inns, shrines and temples, the natural environment, and more.
Kayo Tokuda
Kayo was curator at Benesse Art Site Naoshima, head of the curatorial department at Chichu Art Museum, and curator in charge at Teshima Art Museum, and was critical in the planning of Benesse Art Site Naoshima. She now consults on and plans art projects in various spheres, including food, crafts, art, and architecture, in collaboration with artists and art organizations in Japan and abroad.
In 2016, she established TOMORROW, a non-profit organization that will pursue the funding, production, and staging of site-specific works by high-profile artists who seek to bring viewers joy and inspiration for a deeper human experience. TOMORROW is currently developing a concept for an art village called "TOMORROW FIELD."
She is the author of several books, including SEI / Tokuda House—Kyoto, Joy of Life and Naoshima Nature, Art, Architecture.
Shunya Hashizume
Born in 1995. Graduated with a master’s degree in architecture from Kyoto University in 2020. He has been involved in WATER AND ART's activities as an intern since he was a graduate student, and joined in 2020.
Focusing mainly on traditional architectural techniques using natural materials. His recent design works are the "Taiza Studio" and the Japanese sweets shop "Sho." He challenges to create new building materials with craftsmen.