Anonymous art project debuts in Venice with Kengo Kito and Mika Ninagawa

From the heart of the Japanese art scene, anonymous art project arrives in Europe for the first time, choosing Venice as an iconic city in which to launch its international activities. On the occasion of the 19th. International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia 2025, the philanthropic program conceived by Hiroyuki Maki presents two independent exhibitions that testify to the project’s commitment to promoting free, authentic and socially meaningful art. The two exhibitions, conceived in dialogue with the architectural and cultural context of the lagoon city, offer a powerful and unprecedented cross-section of contemporary Japanese artistic research.

From May 6 to Sept. 28, 2025, the National Archaeological Museum of Venice welcomes LINES by KENGO KITO, a site-specific installation by Kengo Kito (Nagoya, 1977) curated by Masahiko Haito that runs between the Agrippa Courtyard and Room V of the Museum. The work, suspended between color, material and architectural rhythm, stems from a reflection on the relationship between the individual and public space, fitting in continuity with the Renaissance rigor of the courtyard designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi and the Byzantine suggestions of the nearby Basilica of San Marco. With ready-made materials and a vibrant visual language, Kito creates a work that celebrates the vitality of art as a concrete presence in the urban landscape. In parallel, from May 10 to July 21, 2025, the spaces of Palazzo Bollani will host Mika NINAGAWA with EiM: INTERSTICE, the first European solo exhibition of Japanese photographer and filmmaker Mika Ninagawa (Tokyo, 1972), curated by Eriko Kimura. In collaboration with the creative collective EiM (Eternity in a Moment), Ninagawa offers an installation that traverses images, light and sound, constructing a totalizing perceptual experience. The work explores the thresholds of identity, the places of transition and the interstices where the possibility of change is generated. Its pop and visionary aesthetic, steeped in nature and symbolism, meets the scientific and technological approach of the EiM collective, involving figures such as data scientist Hiroaki Miyata and lighting designer Koshiro Ueno, in a dialogue between art, science and perception.

To mark the opening of this new season of activities, on Saturday, May 10, 2025, in conjunction with the public opening of the exhibitions, an event celebrating the encounter between visual culture and gastronomic culture will be held, starringoden, a typical Japanese winter dish reinterpreted as a convivial gesture and contemporary ritual. The event will be animated by the art collective L PACK, which will accompany the audience in a multisensory experience inspired by the spirit of the project. Founded in 2023 by entrepreneur Hiroyuki Maki, anonymous art project represents Japan’s first philanthropic program entirely dedicated to supporting contemporary artists through an alternative model to the logic of profit. Through donations, sponsorships, funding, and exchange projects, the project has already made its mark in Japan, with more than 160 works donated to national museums, three editions of competitions for young artists, 43 exhibitions between Tokyo and Nagoya, and training programs involving 55 participants in study trips to art cities such as Hong Kong, Basel, and Venice.

The documentary chronicling its activities, broadcast in May 2024, reinforced its impact in the international cultural debate. For 2025, anonymous art project strengthens its international focus by establishing a temporary curatorial position at a foreign museum, supporting the curatorial sector through tax-advantaged mechanisms in Japan, collaborating with emerging art centers, and co-organizing exhibitions of international significance. Kengo Kito’s intervention also coincides with a historic moment for the National Archaeological Museum of Venice, which as of May 6, 2025, reopens to the public its historic entrance at number 17 in Piazzetta San Marco, overlooking the Doge’s Palace.

The initiative marks the start of a new refurbishment project and a renewed accessibility policy, with the introduction of an annual pass, a separate ticketing system for the Museum and the Marciana Library, and a new multipurpose space designed to house prestigious exhibits and tell the story of the evolution of the new layout in real time. An integral part of the intervention is the conservation restoration supported by anonymous art project on the wall behind the Agrippa sculpture, a concrete example of how art and heritage care can go hand in hand. The LINES by KENGO KITO project is coordinated in Italy by Veronesi Namioka, a company active in building a cultural bridge between Italy and Japan. The installation is curated by Uni.S.Ve. For Mika Ninagawa’s exhibition, the installation is curated by SUAZES.

Anonymous art project debuts in Venice with Kengo Kito and Mika Ninagawa

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