We are pleased to present a solo exhibition by Yoichi Ochiai, a media artist and researcher active both in Japan and abroad.
Beginning with his “Digital Nature” in 2015, and following the success of the philosophical concept “Tetralemma of Null” proposed in his solo exhibition at the Kusakabe Folk Crafts Museum in Hida Takayama (2025), and the signature pavilion “null²” at the Osaka-Kansai Expo, this exhibition transcends binary oppositions such as myth and geology, ancient and future, material and digital, and East and West, and aims to present a more layered worldview at Kirishima Open-Air Museum in Kagoshima Prefecture, a site of volcanic activity, the land of the Jomon people, and “Tenson Korin” (the descent of the grandson of the sun gods). This solo exhibition connects the past, present, and future through his decade-long work, exploring new relationships between humans and technology, material and information, and nature and artificial things.
Special Exhibition
Yoichi Ochiai | Heard the Divine Kid’s Heading Home?
【Exhibition Highlights】
《A Summary of 10 Years of Activity》
This exhibition, spanning the first 10 years of the artist’s career from the concept “Digital Nature” proposed in 2015 to the present, is designed to offer a comprehensive experience of the artist’s past and present as visitors wander through the exhibition room (art hall), including his important chronicles.
《Unique Exhibition Space》
The surrounding area of the museum is known for the sacred site of the “Tenson Korin” (the descent of the grandson of the sun gods), the active volcanic Kirishima Mountains, and the Jomon culture represented by the approximately 10,600-year-old Uenohara ruins. Incorporating elements of traditional crafts and the daguerreotype, an important medium in the history of photography, the exhibition will create a humorous space comprised of exhibits and photographs related to the Banquet of the Gods.
《Regional Collaboration and Creativity》
Large-scale art and technology exhibitions in regional areas have the potential to enhance the value of local areas as cultural resources and tourist hubs, and to demonstrate new models for the contemporary reinterpretation and preservation of tradition. This
exhibition will be a valuable opportunity to experience cutting-edge art and technology in the region, contributing to the development of the next generation of creative talent and the formation of the region’s identity.
［Organizer］ Kagoshima Prefectural Foundation of Culture Promotion / Minami-Nippon Shimbun /Minaminihon Broadcasting Company Co., Ltd. / Kagoshima Television Station Co., Ltd.
［Special Sponsors］ TOYOTA COROLLA KAGOSHIMA / kubosekiyu Co. / TAIYO-GAS co.ltd.
［Special Cooperation］ Seibidou Corporation / KARIMOKU FURNITURE INC. / YAMATO TRANSPORT CO., LTD.
［Sponsors］ MEIKO TECHNOS CO., LTD. / Hamadasyuzou
［Cooperation］ Yūsui Township / Kirishima-sanroku Yūsui Town Tourism Association / Kagoshima Daiichi Koutsu Co., Ltd.・Daiichi Koutsu Co., Ltd. / SHIMADZU LIMITED / THE KAGOSHIMA BANK, LTD. / Minami-Kyushu FamilyMart Co., Ltd. / Yusui Machiokoshi Energy Co., Ltd.
［Production Cooperation］ Hioki City / Kirishima Jingu / Craft x Tech Tohoku Project (Tangent) / Koriyama Hachiman Shrine / NPO ACT.JT (Chairperson: Man Nomura) / Ryutaro Takahashi Collection / SANSUI-SHA / Juhachibankan / SUNAKI Inc. / Tokukoken / Kirishima Kumen Daiko Historic Preservation Society. / TAKAFUMI SAIGO, Hioki Shimadzu Family / Caretaker of the Former Site of Kippuzan Daijoji Temple / Gallery & Restaurant Butaiura / Nisshin Ikuseikai
［Planning and Coordination］ Ayako Oki (jiseCHI co. ltd)
［Guest Curator］ Tomoe Moriyama (Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)
［Images］
Farewell, Homo sapiens: The Greatest Move Since History Began（2026）
The Singularity Heads Home, Conviviality Holds the Feast: Commensality of Gods and Humans, a Farewell Banquet for the Tenson（2026）
The Divine Kid’s Homecoming Gate (Torii for Cat-Mushroom-Nomads)（2026）
The Object-Oriented Bodhisattva（2023）
Information
- Venue
- Kirishima Open-Air Museum Art Hall
- Holding period
- 2026/07/11 〜 2026/09/23
*Closed on Mondays. (except when Monday is a national holiday, in which case the museum is closed on Tuesday. Please note that the museum will open on 7/20, 8/10, 9/21.)
- Viewing time
- 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (open until 7:00 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and National Holidays from 7/20 to 8/31. Last entry 30minutes before closing.)
- Admission fee
- General : ¥1,200 (¥1,000)／College and high school students: ¥800 (¥600)／Middle and primary school students: ¥600 (¥400) *Fees in parentheses are for advance-sale tickets and/or groups of 20 or more<br />
ARTIST
- Yoichi Ochiai
- Born in 1987, media artist. Completed doctoral course at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies in 2015 (first time the program has been abbreviated), receiving his PhD in Interdisciplinary Information Studies. After working as a JSPS DC1 research fellow and a research intern at Microsoft Research in the US, he became assistant professor in the Department of Library, Information and Media Studies at the University of Tsukuba in 2015, and headed the Digital Nature Laboratory. In 2015, he founded Pixie Dust Technologies.inc, where he serves as CEO. From 2017 to 2019, he was assistant to the president of the University of Tsukuba, visiting professor at Osaka University of Arts and Digital Hollywood University from 2017, visiting professor at Kanazawa College of Art from 2020, and visiting professor at Kyoto City University of Arts from 2021. Since December 2017, he has served as director and associate professor of the University of Tsukuba Digital Nature Promotion Strategic Research Platform, run by Pixie Dust Technologies Inc. In June 2020, he became director of the Digital Nature Development Research Center. He is the research director of xDiversity (Cross Diversity), a CREST project by the Japan Science and Technology Agency titled “Social implementation of spatial viewing and haptic technology based on a super AI platform towards a society that realizes diversity through computers.” He is also a MITOU Super Creator, MITOU PM and director of MITOU Association, Information-Technology Promotion Agency. He is a member of the Cabinet Office Moonshot Research and Development Program Visionary Council and Moonshot Ambassador. He is a signature project producer for the 2025 World Expo, Japan (Osaka-Kansai Expo). He is a member of the Cabinet Secretariat’s All-Generation Social Security Council and a member of the Digital Reform Related Bill Working Group. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders 2022. He was a cultural exchange ambassador for the Agency for Cultural Affairs from 2020 to 2021. He is a specialist member of the Cabinet Office’s Intellectual Property Vision. He is a member of the Cultural Policy Subcommittee of the Council for Cultural Affairs. He is also a member of the Digital Agency’s “Digital Day” Review Committee.