Che Kyongfa on Curating MOT Tokyo's 30th Anniversary and Spring Shows

Che Kyongfa, curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT), discusses the institution's 30th anniversary exhibitions and upcoming spring shows in an interview with Whitewall. MOT, Japan's first major museum dedicated to contemporary art, houses nearly 6,000 works from 1945 onward. For its anniversary, MOT presented "Nine Profiles: 1935→2025" and "Choreographies of the Everyday" (both August–November 2025), which explored publicness and everyday life through collaborations with emerging and mid-career artists from Japan and Asia. Kyongfa emphasized resisting spectacle and prioritizing slower engagement. This spring, MOT hosts three exhibitions: "Sol LeWitt: Open Structure," "Mission∞Infinity: Space + Quantum + Art," and "Eric Carle: Art, Books, and the Caterpillar." Kyongfa, at MOT since 2013, has curated seven exhibitions focusing on Asian artists and politically nuanced practices. She is also a curator for the 2026 Gwangju Biennale, directed by Ho Tzu Nyen, with whom she worked on his 2024 MOT solo show. Kyongfa values collaboration and sustained dialogue with artists and audiences.