2015年度以降、DOMANI 展と、その前提となる新進芸術家海外研究制度の美術部門を担っている。「在研」の存在は知っており、自分自身も短期枠でイギリス・ノリッジに滞在経験を持つが、このポストにつくまでDOMANI 展を見ることがなかった。

着任当初、出展交渉をするなかで、作家のスタンスが二つに分かれることに気づいた。「とにかく出たい」タイプと、「在研の御礼奉公」的なスタンスで決して前向きではないタイプ。国立新美術館企画展示室というタフな空間に不向きだとたじろぐ作家もいた。まず取り組んだのは、展覧会の性格付けのリフレーミングだった。時代のニーズに合った、魅力ある展覧会にする。作家が出たい、鑑賞者が継続的に見たいと思う展覧会に作りかえるため、いくつかの方針を立てた。

同じ六本木圏内の、類似の現代美術展を分析し、差別化または共存を図る。対象は森美術館の「六本木クロッシング」、国立新美術館の「アーティスト・ファイル」。さらに東京都現代美術館の「MOTアニュアル」も情報収集した。2010年代の国内アートシーンでは「芸術祭」も目白押しで、若手中堅作家も海外での発表経験を蓄積していた。そのなかで、ある種の諦念を持った。予算も人員も零細で、コレクションも形成できない。ならば、「中間子」（小池一子氏の定義）的なあり方̶―在研経験間もない作家が国内外で本格デビューする前に、「ショーケース」となるような、おさえたキュレイションに徹する。各作家の特質を生かす展示と、バイリンガルの図録を作成する。在研後も海外在住を続ける作家も、予算の範囲内で招聘する。

以後、毎回、予定人数の倍の作家に声をかけて展示プランを出してもらい、企画や予算によって10名程に絞り込んでいくが、開催一年前には周囲の美術関係者が半分も名前を知らなくても、展覧会の翌年には芸術祭や美術館の小企画にどんどん呼ばれるようになった。背景には、美術館学芸員の世代交代やアートシーンのありようの変化も大きい。今回、DOMANI 展がアートシーンと並走した四半世紀についての年表を整理してみた。驚いたことに、同展誕生当時、東京には美術館での現代美術のアニュアル展がなかった。「MOTアニュアル」の開始は1999年、「六本木クロッシング」は2004年である（先行例には、原美術館のハラ・アニュアル、長野県に移転した高輪美術館（現セゾン現代美術館）の「Art Today」、茨城県の水戸芸術館による水戸アニュアルなど）。文化庁の場合、長らく作品の「買上制度」があり、その紹介展が地方美術館を巡回していた。その要望が減じるなか、「展示」というスキームが90年代後半に文化行政側と在研経験者から発想されたもののようだ。DOMANI 展は当初は東郷青児美術館での開催だったが、2008年から国立新美術館に会場を移したことで、「作品」にとどまらず「展示空間」を見せる企画へとおおきく趣旨を変えていくことになる

ここ5 年程度担当するうちに、現代美術の作家をめぐる消費のスピードは加速している。マーケットで活躍する作家も、プロジェクト系で転戦する作家も同様である。在研終了段階ですでに美術館でのグループ展等が決まっている例も増え、DOMANI 展という「中間子」の役割もそろそろ終わりなのかもしれない。「在研」から、直にアートシーンにつながるのは喜ぶべきこと。2022年度、DOMANI 展は25回目を迎える予定である。つぎの「ステージ」に動く準備に、そろそろ本気で取り組むタイミングだろう。

Since 2015, I have been responsible for the Domani exhibitions, and the fine art section of the Overseas Study Program on which they are predicated. I was familiar with the OSP and had even myself been the beneficiary of a short-term residence in the UK, but until taking this job, had never been to a Domani exhibition.

Soon after my appointment, I noticed that when it came to taking part in Domani, artists invariably fell into one of two camps: very keen to participate, or not at all keen, but feeling obliged to do so in return for having benefited from the program. Some were daunted by the cavernous proportions of the gallery spaces at the National Art Center, Tokyo. The first thing I set out to do was reframe the character of the exhibition, to turn it into an attractive show in keeping with what the times demanded, and put together a plan to refashion Domani into an exhibition that artists wanted to be in, and spectators wanted to return to year after year.

One step I took was to analyze similar shows in the Roppongi area, and find ways to either differentiate Domani from, or coexist with them. The shows in question were the Mori Art Museum’s “Roppongi Crossing,” and “Artist File” at NACT. I also gathered information on the “MOT Annual” held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. In the 2010s, art fans in Japan were also spoilt for choice in arts festivals, while emerging and mid-career artists were busily accumulating experience in presenting work overseas. Having undertaken all this research, I arrived at an acceptance of sorts. Modest funds and staffing; no collection.

This being the case, I would focus exclusively on a “meson” or intermediary approach a la Kazuko Koike: restrained curation designed to showcase artists who had only recently been on the Program, before they made their proper debut at home or abroad. There would be exhibits capitalizing on the distinctive qualities of each artist, and a bilingual catalog. Artists remaining overseas after their OSP stint would also be invited to participate, as funding allowed.

From then on, I approached twice the number of artists intended for each show, had them submit an exhibition plan, then narrowed the lineup down to about ten depending on plans and budget, and found that even if the art people in my circle failed to recognize half the artists’ names a year before the show, the year after, those same artists were being asked to take part in arts festivals and minor exhibitions at museums. A new generation of museum curators coming up through the ranks, and changes in the state of the art scene, were also major contributors to this. In compiling a chronology for this publication of the 23 years Domani has journeyed alongside the art scene, I was surprised to find that at the time Domani was launched, there were no annual exhibitions of contemporary art at any Tokyo museum. “MOT Annual” started in 1999, and “Roppongi Crossing” in 2004 (precedents elsewhere in the country include the “Hara Annual” at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art; “Art Today” at the Takanawa Museum, and “Mito Annual” at Art Tower Mito). The Agency for Cultural Affairs for its part had long operated a “purchase system,” with exhibitions showcasing these purchased works touring provincial museums. As demand for these exhibitions declined, the administrators of the late 1990s came up with the idea of a more proactive “display-oriented” scheme. The Domani shows were initially staged at the Seiji Togo Art Museum but in 2008 moved to the National Art Center, Tokyo, resulting in a significant shift in purpose from the display of “works” to the presenting of “exhibition spaces.”

In the five years I have been doing the Domani exhibitions, the consumption of work by contemporary artists has gathered pace. This goes both for artists actively in the market, and those who move from project to project in different locations. More artists are being picked for museum group shows before they even complete their time on the OSP, and the “meson” role of Domani may soon come to an end. Artists proceeding directly from OSP to art scene is a development to be celebrated. FY 2022 will mark the 25th “Domani: The Art of Tomorrow.” Perhaps it is time to start preparing in earnest for a shift to the next “stage.”