KOHEI NAWA

We are please to announce a film screening of the performance piece “From the Edge,” born from the collaboration between dancer Min Tanaka and sculptor Kohei Nawa, that will take place at THEATRE E9 KYOTO.

The two artists first met at “Art Camp Hakushu,” formerly led by Tanaka, and have deepened their creative dialogue over time. In January 2024, their first performance collaboration premiered in Kofu, Yamanashi. In “From the Edge,” Tanaka’s physicality is intertwined with environmental elements—a vulture, drifting mist, and red earth—forming a stage that feels less like a performance and more like a phenomenon. The work probes themes Tanaka has long explored: the body and weather, the outskirts of the urban, and the primal forces that govern existence.

The Kyoto screening aims to share this landmark collaboration with a broader audience. In conjunction with the screening, a series of special events will take place, including artist talks with Tanaka and Nawa, dialogues between Tanaka and fellow dancers, and the launch of an accompanying art book and vinyl record. These events are designed to deepen the public’s engagement with the philosophical and aesthetic inquiries posed by “From the Edge”.

...

◼︎ Film Screening & Artist Talks
This immersive screening features a film adaptation of “From the Edge”. On July 11 (Fri) and July 12 (Sat), each screening will be followed by a talk event with Min Tanaka, Kohei Nawa, and guest collaborators such as Marihiko Hara and Yukiko Yoshimoto, offering insights into the performance’s music, scenography, lighting, and direction. Audience dialogue will also be encouraged, making for an in-depth, multidisciplinary conversation.

Date: July 11 (Fri) - July 13 (Sun), July 18 (Fri) - July 21 (Mon), 2025
Time: 16:00 - 17:00 / 19:00 - 20:00 (2 screenings per day)
Special Schedule for July 11&12: 16:00 - 18:00 / 19:00–21:00 (including 10-minute intermission; screenings + artist talk)
Venue: THEATRE E9 KYOTO
9-1 Minamikawaramachi, Higashikujo, Minami-ku, Kyoto 601‑8013, Japan
Ticket Purchase

◼︎ Dancer Meets Dancer
In a rare public dialogue, Min Tanaka invites participants—professional and non-professional alike—for a deep exploration of the meaning of dance. Based on his belief that “dance belongs to everyone,” this event will examine the role of dance across time—past, present, and future. Kohei Nawa will also join the conversation, moderated by journalist and art producer Tetsuya Ozaki. This intergenerational, cross-disciplinary gathering promises to be a unique opportunity for those interested in the relationship between body and world.

Date: July 12 (Sat), 2025
Time: 11:00 - 15:00 (including the screening and intermissions)
Venue: THEATRE E9 KYOTO
9-1 Minamikawaramachi, Higashikujo, Minami-ku, Kyoto 601‑8013, Japan
Event Registration

◼︎ Art Book + Vinyl Record Launch & Talk Event
An art book documenting “From the Edge” — including performance photographs and critical texts — and a vinyl record of the original soundtrack by Marihiko Hara will be released to coincide with the screening. A special launch event and talk will be held, featuring Min Tanaka, Kohei Nawa, and guests including composer Marihiko Hara and graphic designer Takuma Hayashi.

Date: July 10 (Thu), 2025
Time: 19:00 - 20:00
Venue: Kyoto Tsutaya Books SHARE LOUNGE
6th Floor, Takashimaya S.C. [T8], 35 Otabi-cho, 2-chome, Teramachi Higashi-iru, Shijo-dori, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto 600‑8002, Japan
*Details about the art book, vinyl record, and event reservation methods will be updated regularly.

...

[ Dance “From the Edge” ]
Direction and Concept by Min Tanaka | Kohei Nawa
Dance: Min Tanaka
Art: Kohei Nawa
Music: Marihiko Hara / Sound engineering: Raku Nakahara / Lighting: Yukiko Yoshimoto / Stage management: Masaya Natsume / Costume: Gembey Yamaguchi / Costume and hair styling: Rin Ishihara / Photo: Yoshikazu Inoue / Video: Aozora, Ltd. / Publicity Design: Takuma Hayashi / Volunteer participants: The Youth of Yamanashi
Conceived, organized, and co-presented by Madada Inc. + Sandwich Inc.

Supported by Valuence
Thanks to Oogoya Co., Ltd., Zabuton-tei Furyu Kikaku, SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, Gembey Yamaguchi (Kondaya Gembey Inc.)

Presented by Yamanashi Stage Art Project 2023 Committee, Japanese Council of Performers Rights and Performing Arts Organization (GEIDANKYO), Television Yamanashi Co., Ltd. / Generous support provided by The Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan (Cultural and artistic demand recovery and regional revitalization project (Art Caravan 2)) | JAPAN LIVE YELL project by the Japan Arts Council

 

From the Edge

As part of Osaka Art & Design 2025, a citywide initiative celebrating creativity through encounters with art and design across the city, we are pleased to present the special exhibition CAPS 2025 at Takashimaya Osaka in Osaka, Japan.

Organized in collaboration with the Graduate School of Kyoto University of the Arts, this exhibition highlights the innovative educational framework of its Contemporary Art Practice Program. Featuring works by faculty members, alumni, and current students who are actively contributing to today’s art scene, CAPS 2025 presents a vibrant showcase of contemporary artistic expression. The exhibition spans a wide range of media—from painting and sculpture to craft, video, and installation—highlighting the diversity and dynamism of emerging artistic voices. A series of artist-led workshops will also take place throughout the exhibition period.

Sandwich, the creative platform founded by Kohei Nawa, was responsible for the overall exhibition design. Nawa himself will present two major sculptural works, “Swell-Tiger” and “Swell-Deer,” on the first-floor stage. Additionally, Sandwich will present its latest publication, “ONIDAIMYO The Echoes of KYOTO,” an art book exploring the layered cultural landscape of Kyoto. The book will be available for purchase at the 7th floor event space, where buyers will receive a complimentary, custom-sized tote bag (the number is limited).

...
◼︎About CAPS
Launched in the spring of 2025, CAPS is a dynamic initiative centered around the Contemporary Art Practice Program at the Graduate School of Kyoto University of the Arts. The name CAPS reflects both the plural nature of its activities and the concept of an open, experimental studio environment. Positioning art education as alive, socially engaged experiment, CAPS encompasses a broad range of creative endeavors which extend beyond the traditional academic framework—such as exhibition planning, art production, and curatorial practice. These initiatives reflect the program’s commitment to fostering experimental, interdisciplinary, and outward-looking approaches to contemporary art.
As part of this vision, Sandwich Inc. designed and renovated the on-campus studio space, creating an environment that supports both production and exhibition functions.
...

Exhibition Period: May 28 (Wed) - June 10 (Tue), 2025
*7th floor venue is closed on June 9 (Mon)
Opening Hours: 10:00 - 20:00
*7th floor open 10:00 - 19:00; Closes at 18:00 on June 9
Venue: Takashimaya Osaka
[1F] Stage, Good Shock Place / [2F] International Boutique Special Area / [3F & 6F] Rose Patio / [7F] Special Event Hall
5-1-5 Namba, Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-8510, Japan

Organized by: CAPS Organizing Committee | Osaka Takashimaya | OAC CORPORATION | Yamanaka Suplex
Supported by: ONIDAIMYO | ULTRA FACTORY | Kyoto University of the Arts | HOTEL ANTEROOM KYOTO | Marihiko Hara
Exhibition Design: Sandwich Inc.

CAPS 2025

Sandwich is pleased to announce the publication of “ONIDAIMYO The Echoes of KYOTO,” an art book that reflects on the past decade of Kyoto’s evolving contemporary art scene through the lens of the artist-curator unit ONIDAIMYO.

Formed by three leading artists and professors at Kyoto University of the Arts—Kengo Kito, Daisuke Ohba, and Kohei Nawa—ONIDAIMYO has been instrumental in shaping the artistic environment of Kyoto. Their interdisciplinary activities, spanning from exhibitions to commercial art direction, have served as a bridge between art practice, education, and society. Through their work, they have not only invigorated the creative energies of emerging artists but also helped chart sustainable paths for young talents within the art market.

"ONIDAIMYO The Echoes of KYOTO"  documents 12 major projects curated or produced by ONIDAIMYO, showcasing works by nearly 180 artists. By doing so, the book positions past collaborators within the broader genealogy of the unit’s influence while offering a guidepost for the next generation of artists preparing to embark on their creative journeys. The publication becomes a vital record of an ongoing artistic cycle—one that continues to unfold in and beyond Kyoto.

The recent emergence of young artistic talent in Kyoto is no coincidence. It is the result of a distinct cultural ecosystem fostered by the city—one that supports creative experimentation while remaining connected to both local tradition and global context. This book captures that unique spirit. Readers will discover how each featured project, though rooted in Kyoto, resonates far beyond its borders. We hope the voices of these artists—echoing from every page—will speak to you.

【Publication Details】
Title: ONIDAIMYO The Echoes of KYOTO
Authors: Kengo Kito, Daisuke Ohba, Kohei Nawa
Interviews with: Noboru Tsubaki, Kenji Yanobe
Publisher: Sandwich Inc.
First Edition Release Date: May 28, 2025
Format: A4 variant (W204 × H286 mm), softcover, 400 pages
Printing and Binding: Nissha Printing Communications, Inc.
ISBN: 978-4-9913310-1-5
Price: ¥5,500 (tax incl.)

*Now accepting pre-orders
ONIDAIMYO The Echoes of KYOTO

We are pleased to announce the premiere and a world tour of a new performance work “Mirage,” born from the collaboration between choreographer Damien Jalet and sculptor Kohei Nawa. The world premiere will take its place at the Grand Théâtre de Genève in Geneva, Switzerland. Following its Swiss premiere, “Mirage” is set to tour in Germany and Spain, with additional performances across Europe planned from 2026 onward.

This marks the fourth creative partnership between Jalet and Nawa, whose artistic dialogue spans more than a decade. Centered on the theme of life’s constant metamorphosis, “Mirage” brings together a diverse array of artists, including former Daft Punk member Thomas Bangalter, in a multidisciplinary creative endeavor.

Drawing inspiration from optical phenomena such as mirages and Fata Morgana—illusions caused by the refraction of light under specific atmospheric conditions—the work explores visions seen by those wandering in the desert, a metaphor for harsh environments and the human search for self.

Set against a stage that evokes the quiet yet unstoppable force of an approaching tsunami—or the shifting expanse of a sand dune—dancers interact with a range of materials including water, mist, and glitter. Through this dynamic exchange, and with richly layered lighting as a catalyst, the space gradually transforms into an immersive, multisensory phenomenon.

◼︎Mirage – Geneva, Switzerland
Date / Time: May 6 (Tue), 2025 / 20:00 -
May 7 (Wed), 2025 / 20:00 -
May 9 (Fri), 2025 / 20:00 -
May 11 (Sun), 2025 / 15:00 -
Venue: Grand Théâtre de Genève
Boulevard du Théâtre 11, CH-1204 Genève, Switzerland
website

◼︎Mirage – Hamburg, Germany
Date / Time: June 5 (Thu), 2025 / 20:00 -
June 6 (Fri), 2025 / 20:00 -
June 7 (Sat), 2025 / 20:00 -
Venue: Kampnagel
Jarrestraße 20, 22303 Hamburg, Germany
website

◼︎Mirage – Madrid, Spain
Date / Time: September 18 (Thu), 19 (Fri), 20 (Sat), 21 (Sun) / *Time TBD
Venue: Centro Danza Matadero
Paseo de la Chopera, 14, Plaza de Legazpi, 8, 28045 Madrid, Spain
website

Concept and Choreography: Damien Jalet
Concept and Scenography: Kohei Nawa
Music: Thomas Bangalter
Lighting Designer: Yukiko Yoshimoto
Costumes Designer: Kunihiko Morinaga (ANREALAGE)
Costumes designing Assistant: Anna Sato (ANREALAGE)
Choreography Advisor: Aimilios Arapoglou
Programming: Ryo Shiraki

Coproduction with Kampnagel-Hambourg, Festspielhaus St. Pölten (AT), Charleroi Danse, Centro de Danza Matadero-Madrid, Maison de la Danse, Lyon – Pôle européen de création

Sponsored by RÉMY ET VERENA BEST, Indosuez Wealth Management, FCO Private Office, Stiftung Usine, Yoshimura Holdings (Mirage [transitory])

*“Mirage” is a creation based on the project “Mirage [transitory]”, produced and organised by Sandwich Inc, Zero-Ten Inc, Super Massive Global co,. Ltd, sponsored by Yoshimura Holdings and presented in Fukuoka (Japan) in September 2024.

 

– In memory of Ryo Shiraki (1990 - 2025)

 

photo: Gregory Batardon

Mirage

 

We are pleased to announce that Sandwich Inc. took charge of the spatial design of the Kyoto Zone within the Kansai Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

Amid the overwhelming array of content throughout the Expo site, our goal was to create a unified, minimal, and tranquil space—crafted in collaboration with various creators—where visitors can take the time to reflect deeply on Kyoto’s future and its profound past.

The floors and walls are covered with Kimono Tiles, a Kyoto-style ceramic tile that was developed together with Kyogawara Co.,Ltd, Asada Tile Factory. Inspired by the overlapping front panels of traditional kimono, the distinctive tile pattern is both geometric and organically irregular, and create a sense of rhythm, movement, and depth within the space. Complemented by video visuals by Shimpei Yamada from Aozora Inc. and music by composer Marihiko Hara, the result is a multi-sensory environment that tells a layered and immersive story.

Exhibition Period: until October 13 (Mon), 2025
Opening hours: 9:00 - 22:00
Venue: Expo 2025 - Kyoto Zone, Kansai Pavilion, East Gate Zone
​Yumeshimanaka, Konohana-ku, Osaka 554-0044, Japan

Space Design: Sandwich Inc.
“Kimono tile” Production: Masahisa Asada (Kyoto Trading Co., Ltd. Asada Tile Factory)
Construction: FACT Inc. ＆ Oda space design
Video Production Surpervisor, Director: Shimpei Yamada (AOZORA, LTD.)
Music: Marihiko Hara
Sound design: Raku Nakahara (KARABINER inc.)
Lighting design: Masaki Yasuhara (Plus y)
Organized: Kyoto promotion committee for the EXPO 2025 OSAKA, KANSAI, JAPAN Project Management: TOPPAN Inc.

photo: Takeru Koroda

Expo 2025 Kansai Pavilion Kyoto Zone

We are pleased to present Kohei Nawa’s new public sculpture Snow-Deer that is currently on display at the main venue of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

This softly glowing white deer, reminiscent of freshly fallen snow, is inspired by the sacred deer long revered in Shinto (Japanese polytheistic religion) and other traditions as the messengers of gods. In this work, the deer quietly gazes towards a future shaped by climate transformations—rising sea levels, shifting ecosystems, and perhaps even a step back to an ice age.

Exhibition Period: until October 13 (Mon), 2025
Opening hours: 9:00 - 22:00
Venue: Expo 2025 Osaka, East Gate Zone – East Gate Plaza (in front of the Information Center)
Yumeshimanaka, Konohana-ku, Osaka 554-0044, Japan

Supported by: Hitoshi Tanaka, CEO of JINS HOLDINGS Inc. / Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co.Ltd. / Heiwa Gokin Co., Ltd.

 

Expo 2025

We are pleased to announce Kohei Nawa’s solo show Sentient (possessing perception and consciousness) — his sixth exhibition and the first in three years at SCAI THE BATHHOUSE in Tokyo.

Set against the backdrop of an era marked by accelerating shifts in technology and ecology, Nawa has spent the past two decades exploring the role of objects as mediators between perception and information through practicing and experimenting with mixed media. With Sentient, this ongoing inquiry evolves further. Through creative interventions that transform and reconfigure materiality, the exhibition raises new questions around the ontology of the object.

Exhibition Period: April 22 (Tue) - July 12 (Sat), 2025
Opening Hours: 12:00 - 18:00
Closed: Mondays, Sundays, Holidays
Venue: SCAI THE BATHHOUSE
Kashiwayu-Ato, 6-1-23 Yanaka, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0001 Japan

Press release

photo: Nobutada OMOTE

Sentient

Over the past two decades, Kohei Nawa’s mixed-media practice has explored the reciprocal interplay between materiality, perception, and codification in an era of accelerated technological and ecological transformation. Series such as “PixCell” have emerged through his sustained engagement with materials that alter the surface of found objects, highlighting recursive exchanges between engineered substances and encoded signifiers, as well as between digital data and sculptural form. Sentient—Nawa’s sixth solo exhibition with SCAI THE BATHHOUSE and his first in three years—extends this inquiry, challenging conventional ontologies of objecthood through a diverse array of artistic interventions.

The exhibition comprises approximately twenty sculptural works, each placed on an individual pedestal and collectively weaving a multilayered dialogue. From a 1970s cathode-ray tube television and a kazariuma doll used in seasonal festivals, to a plaster cast of a Greek sculpture once employed in drawing classes, the featured objects have been gathered through varied channels of circulation—such as online auctions and local flea markets. They appear as if they have been “caught by the mesh in the shifting currents of time” (as Nawa puts it), each embodying distinct aesthetics from disparate eras and regions. The range of materials extends beyond still objects to include elements such as a perpetually burning candle and a weekly refreshed ikebana arrangement—spanning from mass-produced icons of an era to handcrafted formal expressions. Techniques drawn from Nawa’s ongoing series—including “Velvet,” which coats surfaces with villosity resembling moss or fungal mycelium, and “Trans,” which sculpts forms based on 3D-scanned digital data—are applied to these objects, rendering their meanings unstable and unsettling their semiotic legibility.

Based on a prototype conceived during his university years, “Meat in a Cell” (2025) reveals the early emergence of Nawa’s long-standing themes: the interplay between organic and synthetic matter, as well as the conceptual framework of the cell. What appears at first glance to be a polished mineral is, in fact, a mass of meat enclosed within a glass case. Its deceptive form inscribes itself in the viewer’s memory through a stark disjunction between visual recognition and material reality, reminiscent of the Surrealist effect of ‘defamiliarisation.’ Works such as “Traveller's Tree” (2025)—composed of a wooden chair coated in silicon carbide and dried plants—and “Cockscomb” (2025), in which a cockscomb flower, preserved through plastination like an anatomical specimen, is pinned inside a glass jar, further amplify the uncanny dimensions of the exhibition’s imagery—placing organic and biological matter into a state of suspended stillness, as if frozen in another realm.

Among the exhibited works, “Cells in the Grotto” (2025) stands out for its interpretive fluidity. Resembling a cave overgrown with rhizomes, the structure is coated in dried and pulverised clay, with glass spheres of varying sizes placed within, each containing natural or synthetic material. Mica flakes, crystallised minerals, film-coated turnip seeds, Himalayan rock salt, and mugwort—elements diverse in colour and form—are encapsulated, suggesting a fragile ecosystem intricately entangled with the earth’s ongoing environmental crises. At the same time, the seemingly discordant arrangement of these objects evokes mythological and symbolic associations, foregrounding the logic of assemblage as one governed by uncontrollable external forces.

At Nawa’s studio, objects stripped of their original function arrive one after another, accumulating in a state of deliberate disorder that echoes what Walter Benjamin described as “the scatter of allegorical properties (the patchwork)”*—a mode of collecting that rejects linear narrative and fixed categorisation. As these objects undergo transformation through the layering of diverse materials and techniques, their legibility as signs is gradually dismantled. Within this combinatory assemblage, objects drift between material properties and encoded meaning, unsettling existing systems of value. In Sentient, the spatial constellation of these sculptures opens a field of relational encounters—one in which meaning remains fluid, continuously unravelling into unforeseen perspectives.

* Benjamin, W. (1999). ‘The Collector.’ In The Arcades Project. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 211.

 

Exhibition Period: April 22 (Tue) - July 12 (Sat), 2025
Opening Hours: 12:00 - 18:00
Closed: Mondays, Sundays, Holidays
Venue: SCAI THE BATHHOUSE
Kashiwayu-Ato, 6-1-23 Yanaka, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0001 Japan

photo: Nobutada OMOTE

 

Sentinent

Treasure 2, a group exhibition featuring works by Yukio Fujimoto, Kodai Nakahara, Hajime Imamura, and Kohei Nawa, will be held in Gallery Nomart, Osaka. The exhibition brings together recent and new works selected from the artists' multiple editions created in collaboration with Gallery Nomart.

Exhibition Period: April 5 (Sat) - May 2 (Fri), 2025
Opening Hours: 13:00 -19:00
Closed: Sundays, Holidays
Venue: Gallery Nomart
3-5-22, Nagata, Joto-ku, Osaka, 536-0022 Japan

Treasure 2

Kohei Nawa’s sculpture work "PixCell-Flamingo" will be featured in the exhibition WHO ARE WE? WHERE ARE WE GOING?  in PLAY! MUSEUM in Tokyo.

Exhibition Period: April 16 (Wed) - July 6 (Sun), 2025
Opening Hours: [Mon - Fri] 10:00-17:00 (Last entry 16:30)
[Sat - Sun, Holidays] 10:00-18:00 (Last entry 17:30)
Venue: PLAY! MUSEUM
GREEN SPRINGS, W3, Midoricho 3-1, Tachikawa-shi, Tokyo 190-0014, Japan

WHO ARE WE? WHERE ARE WE GOING?

The Tokyo National Museum’s Hyokeikan will host UKIYO-E IN PLAY, a contemporary ukiyo-e exhibition created through collaborations between 85 contemporary artists, designers, and creators, and the master carvers and printers of the Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints. Kohei Nawa will present three new ukiyo-e works.

Exhibition Period: April 22 (Tue) - June 15 (Sun), 2025
Opening Hours: 9:30 - 17:00 (Last entry 16:30)
*Fridays, Saturdays, May 4, and May 5 will be opened until 20:00.
Closed: Mondays, May 7
*April 28 and May 5 will be opened.
Venue: Tokyo National Museum - Hyokeikan
13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-8712, Japan

UKIYO-E IN PLAY

“Planet [wanderer],” a performance by choreographer Damien Jalet and sculptor Kohei Nawa will be presented at Onassis Stegi in Athens, Greece.

Dates / Time: April 4 (Fri), April 5 (Sat), April 6 (Sun), 2025 / 20:30 - 21:30
Venue: Onassis Stegi
Leof. Andrea Siggrou 107, Athens 117 45, Greece
Tickets

Choreography: Damien Jalet
Scenography: Kohei Nawa
Lighting: Yukiko Yoshimoto
Costumes: Sruli Recht
Music: Tim Hecker
Sound Designer: Xavier Jacquot
Assistant choreographer: Alexandra Hoàng Gilbert
Outside eye: Catalina Navarrete Hernández
Creative producer: Jamila Hessaine

Dancers: Shawn Ahern, Kim Amankwaa, Aimilios Arapoglou, Francesco Ferrari, Vinson Fraley, Christina Guieb, Astrid Sweeney, Ema Yuasa

Produced by the Théâtre National de Bretagne
In partnership with Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse,  Associate Producer of the 2021 creation
Coproduction: Sandwich Inc.; Charleroi Danse; Festspielhaus St Pölten; Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre; Rohm Theatre Kyoto; Kyoto Art Center; Opéra de Rouen Normandie; Theater Kampnagel Hamburg; Ballet de Grand Théâtre de Genève; Staatstheater Darmstadt; Nagelhus Schia Productions

Cooperation: Kyoto University of the Arts – ULTRA SANDWICH PROJECT #14 #15 #16 #17, Kyoto University – Takenaka Laboratory

This show is supported by Grand Marble and MATSUSHIMA HOLDINGS CO. LTD.
Thanks to Théo Casciani and Prabda Yoon, Fabienne Aucant

Photo: Rahi Rezvani

Planet [wanderer]

Following its edition in MAD, Paris, “Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses” exhibition will be presented at ArtScience Museum in Singapore. The video excerpt of VESSEL, a performance piece created by Damien Jalet and Kohei Nawa will be presented alongside the renowned fashion designer’s creations.

Exhibition Period: March 15 (Sat) - August 10 (Sun), 2025
Opening Hours: [Sun - Thu] 10:00 - 19:00 (Last admission 18:00) / [Fri - Sat] 10:00 - 21:00 (Last admission 20:15)
Venue: ArtScience Museum Level 3 Galleries
6 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018974

Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses