Noriko Kawakami     

 

Design Journalist

Associate Director of 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT 

 

Noriko Kawakami undertakes interviewing, writing,

project direction and design exhibition curation, 

while also serving as lecturer at several universities.

 

Link to 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Information 

 

 

 

 

Profile 

 

After an editorial career at AXIS design magazine from 1986 to 1994, Noriko Kawakami became an independent design journalist in 1994. For the next two years she participated in various Italian-Japanese design projects with the Domus Design Agency, serving as External Editorial Director of the Domus Academy Research Center.

 

Kawakami is author of many books, including Realising Design (TOTO Shuppan 2004), and

co-author (with Oki Sato of nendo) of Ura kara nozoke-ba omote ga mieru (Peeping at the Back to Reveal the Front) (Nikkei Business Publishing 2013) and Nippon Product (Bijutsu Shuppan-sha). She is also editor of Tendo Mokko (Bijutsu Shuppan-sha 2008).

 

Since 2007, Kawakami has been Associate Director of 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, involved in co-planning of exhibitions alongside the museum's three Directors, Issey Miyake, Taku Satoh and Naoto Fukasawa. Preparations for opening the museum began in 2005.

 

Other curating work includes Japon Japonismes. Objets inspirés, 1867-2018,  at Musée des Arts Décoratifs,Paris, 2018-2019, and Curatorial Advisor for the official Japanese entry at the London Design Biennale 2016, entitled A Journey Around the Neighbourhood Globe, by the artist Yasuhiro Suzuki.  

She also co-curated Wa: The Spirit of Harmony and Japanese Design Today (2008) and Japanese Design Today 100 (2014), both commissioned by the Japan Foundation for worldwide tours.

LINK to Curatorial Work Photographs

 

 

 

Works of Juries and Lectures 

 

Kawakami serves on juries of art, design and craft prizes, including: The Good Design Awards in Japan.

Served on judging committee for design and art competition, including : The James Dyson Award Japan Stage, from 2018 to 2021, Tokyo Midtown Award Art Competition from 2016 to 2020, Shiseido art egg award 2020. 

 

Kawakami is much sought-after as a guest speaker, and is Lecturer at Musashino Art University,

Nagaoka Institute of Design, and Kuwasawa Design School.  

She is also Special Lecturer in the Graduate School of System Design at Tokyo Metropolitan University.

She also participates in numerous design lectures, round tables and talks for general audience. 

 

Kawakami is a member of various professional bodies, including the Architectural Institute of Japan, 

the Japanese Society of Social Psychology, and the Japanese Society for the Science of Design.

She is a council member for the Miyake Issey Foundation, a member of the Board Directors of Tama Art University.

 

 

 

Recent Works

 

2022

One of seven judges for Maison & Objet, Paris, Rising Talent Awards Japan, chaired by Kengo Kuma.

An Exhibition of the seven Japanese entrants will be held at Maison & Objet in March.

 

Editorial committee member for High School textbook Bijutsu 1 (Fine Art 1) , Mitsumura Tosho Publishing.

 

2021

Participated in roundtable De l'artisanat traditionnel au design contemporain das part of

Festival de l'histoire de l'art held annuary at Chateau de Fontainebleau, by Institute national d 'histoire de l'art.

Information Link

 

Participated as interviewer for production of film for exhibition Tadanori Yokoo: The Artists, organized by Fondation Cartier pour l'art comtemporain, at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery, 3 July - 17 October 2021.

Film direction: Noriaki Okamoto

Interviewed Tadanori Yokoo in his atelier.  Film Link

Interviewed Junya Ishigami, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 3.  Film Link

Interviewed Rinko Kawauchi,  21_21 DESIGN SIGHT Gallery 3.  Film Link

 

Editorial committee member for Junior High School textbook Bijutsu 1 (Fine Art 1) and Bijutsu 2･３（Fine Art 3), Mitsumura Tosho Publishing.

 

Interviewed Kazuyo Sejima for Hanatsubaki magazine, Shiseido.

Article Link  

 

Interviewed  Bijoy Jain, Studio Mumbai, for Hanatsubaki magazine, Shiseido.

 

2020

Member of Selection Committee for Tokyo 2020 Official Art Posters Project.

 

Speaker at keynote discussion event on The Good Design Awards 2020.

 

2019 

Nominator for the Beazley Designs of theYear 2019 London Design Museum.

 

Delivered a lecture on notable projects on contemporary Japanese Design in Bangkok, 

organized by the Japan Foundation, Bangkok and the Design Thailand Creative & Design Center in May.

 

Talk Session with Ronan & Erwan Boullourec on their design for JINS Design Project, Tokyo in December.

 

Moderator for the talk sessions of Ryoko Ueyama with Tsuyoshi Tane and Satoshi Yoshiizumi of

TAKT Project, for the exhibition of Prospective Landscape: A retrospective. Drawing Exhibition 'Vortex'

Ryoko Ueyama & Collaborators at Architect's House Tokyo, October and November.

 

Speaker for the talk sessions with artists and designers on contemporary craft, for the exhibition of 

Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2019 in Tokyo, June and July.

 

Speaker for the talk sessions with ASSEMBLE, for the exhibition of Granby Workshop: The Rules of

Production Shinzo Fukuhara / ASSEMBLE, THE EUGENE STUDIO Ⅱ at Shiseido Gallery in Tokyo, January.

 

2018

Guest-curator of Japon Japonismes. Objets inspiré, 1867-2018 at Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. 

Delivered a lecture on notable projects in contemporary Japanese Design and craft at 

Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

 

Nominator for the Beazley Designs of theYear 2018, London Design Museum.

 

Speaker for design seminar at Seoul Design Festival 2018.

 

Delivered lecture on notable contemporary Japanese design projects, 

organized by the Japan Foundation, Beijing, 

 

2017

Delivered lecture on notable contemporary Japanese design projects,

organized by the Japan Foundation, Beijing.

2016

Participated in official talk event at the London Design Biennale.

 

Participated in talk event with Makiko Minagawa and Tokujin Yoshioka,

for the MIYAKE ISSEY EXHIBITION, The Work of Miyake Issey at National Art Center Tokyo.

 

 Recent Writings

 

Iittala Journal #3, 2019, p.70 - p.75

 

Text for JINS Design Projects, booklets

Interviews with Jasper Morrison, Konstantin Grcic, Alberto Meda, Michele De Lucchi,

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. 

 

ART AUREA, 2016-1,  p.50 - p.55

Otto Künzli in Japan,  Photos by Miriam Künzli

 

AXIS,  vol.201, 2019, p.100 - p. 105

OTON GLASS & CuBoad  - Practical social implementation through an inquisitive stance

 

AXIS,  vol.191, 2018, p.90 - p 95

JINS Design Project with Jasper Morrison, Aiming for the ultimate standard.

 

AXIS,  vol.190, 2017, p.100 - p.105

Philippe Apeloig- Capturing the moment and instilling graphics with movement.

 

AXIS,  vol.188, 2017,  p.98 - p.103

Utilizing art and design to eliminate the gap between medical treatment spaces and daily life.  

 

Quotes from Realising Design, 2004, by Noriko Kawakami 

On young Japanese designers. 

 

 

 

Interviews with Noriko Kawakami 

 

Wochi Kochi magazine, published by the Japan Foundation, 2017 

with Mr. Yasuhiro Suzuki, artist, on his exhibition at the London Design Biennale 2016.

 

ICON DESIGN, Japanese Next Generation, July issue.Text by Minako Morita, 2019.

 

Highlighting Japan, published by the Government of Japan, 2017.

Kawakami talks about 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT.

 

Art Space Tokyo,  2008

Kawakami talks about 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT.

 

 

 

LINK

 

New York Times article on exhibition 

directed  and curated by Noriko Kawakami together with Ikko Yokoyama at  21_21 DESIGN SIGHT.

LINK to the article