30 UNDER 30 JAPAN
In 2018, the business media “Forbes JAPAN” decided to launch its inaugural “30 UNDER 30 JAPAN” project. A total of 30 people were selected and announced across five categories: “Art,” “Entertainment & Sports,” “Business,” “Social Entrepreneurs,” and “Healthcare & Science.” Details will appear in the issue released on August 25.
30 UNDER 30
The “30 UNDER 30” project is an award that the US edition of Forbes launched in 2011 to recognize innovators under the age of 30 who are active across various fields. There are now Asian, European, and African editions as well.
For reference, the 2018 Asia edition featured a stellar lineup from Japan, including figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu (23), professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama (26), professional baseball player Shohei Ohtani (23), and ski jumper Sara Takanashi (21). In the Art category, the following four were selected.
– Kensuke Fujishiro (30): founder of “Cift,” a community based at “Shibuya Cast,” a mixed-use facility where creatives share their living and working lives
– Koji Tajima (27): concept artist at “Double Negative,” Europe’s largest film-VFX production company
– Ko Tominaga (30): fashion designer who won the Grand Prix at the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography
– Shishi Yamazaki (28): develops production projects such as hand-drawn watercolor-style rotoscope animation
Selected in the “Art” Category of 30 UNDER 30 JAPAN
The reasons for making this a Japan-focused edition this year are explained; here is a partial quote.
Why did we decide to create a Japan edition this year?
For one, at a time when people often say “young people lack vitality,” we wanted to make it known that there are many Japanese doing work of world-class stature.
For another, at a moment when society is changing rapidly and people’s values are shifting dramatically, we believe that the generation known as the millennials will be the ones to create the “new normal” of the 21st century.
The six people selected in the “Art” category this time are as follows.
[The 6 Selected in the Art Category]
Photographer: Shiho Yoshida
Video artist: Katsuki Nogami
Painter: Yukimasa Ida
“Rakugaki-eter” (doodle-based creator): YOSHI
Photographer / Film Director: Yoshiyuki Okuyama
Culinary artist: Shohei Yasuda
Including a “culinary artist” in the Art category may seem a bit playful, but the other five make for a varied lineup even by art-world standards.
Who Are the Judges?
For the art field, the following three people served as advisory-board members involved in the selection.
– Fumio Nanjo, Mori Art Museum
– Kohei Nawa, sculptor
– Masamichi Toyama, collector (President and CEO of Smiles)
All are highly renowned, so the six honorees can accept the award with full confidence. Incidentally, Yukimasa Ida won the Kohei Nawa Prize at the 3rd CAF Award — a nice connection.
* Culinary artist Shohei Yasuda’s inclusion likely reflects the influence of Masamichi Toyama, who runs food and beverage businesses.
Yukimasa Ida
As readers may know, we here at art on would like to note that “Yukimasa Ida,” whom we’ve been paying close attention to, is the only painter selected. Since his solo show in Gifu in autumn 2017, he hasn’t had many opportunities to exhibit domestically, and his activities have mostly been overseas of late.
In 2018 he is scheduled to appear at “Asia Now,” which begins in France on October 17.
We very much hope for a domestic solo show to be organized soon!
Yukimasa Ida’s interview about the award can be read here.
https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/22650
