ars●bit, in collaboration with HYPER MUSEUM HANNO, will host a commemorative talk session, “Hyper Museum Autumn Festival,” during artist Takakura kazuki’s solo exhibition “Characters are Words” (November 16, 2025 – March 1, 2027), on Saturday, December 6, 2025.
Takakurakazuki continues to challenge the Japanese contemporary art scene by opening up unprecedented connections between digital games and cutting-edge technology and Eastern philosophy and Asian art. He is also a participating creator at ars●bit as a CREATOR/ARTIST. The talk session will explore the concept and expression of Takakurakazuki’s current exhibition, “Characters are Words,” from multiple perspectives, and explore how Japanese technology art, based on play/games and pop culture, can resist global division and confusion, along with his contemporaries.
■Program
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Part 1: The Current State of Play and Art—The Future of Asian Imagination
Panelists:
Takakurakazuki (Artist in this Exhibition)
Tsunehiro Uno (Critic)
HANG Yishu (Curator, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa)
Part 2: What Does “Character” Mean? Playing with a Living AI
Panelists:
Takakurakazuki
Emi Kusano (Artist)
Yoichiro Miyake (Game AI Developer, Specially Appointed Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts)
General Discussion and Q&A
*This session may be omitted depending on the circumstances of the talk session.
Moderators:
Daichi Nakagawa (Critic/Editor)
Yosuke Takahashi (Curator)
■Event Overview
Title: Talk Session “Hyper Museum Autumn Festival” commemorating the Opening of the Takakurakazuki Exhibition “Characters are Words”
Date and Time: Saturday, December 6, 2025, 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Venue: HYPER MUSEUM HANNO
327-6 Miyazawa, Hanno City, Saitama Prefecture 357-0001 Metsa
https://metsa-hanno.com/hypermuseumhanno
Access: 13 minutes by bus from the north exit of Hanno Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line
Take the direct bus to Metsa (operated by Kokusai Kogyo, Seibu Bus, and Eagle Bus) or the local bus to Miyazawa (operated by Eagle Bus)
Organizer: Hyper Museum Hanno
Co-organizer: ars●bit/Shibuya Asobiba Production Committee
Supported by: Japan Creator Support Fund
■Exhibition Overview
Hyper Museum Hanno’s third exhibition features Takakurakazuki, a highly anticipated artist whose work blends the digital and real worlds.
His characters, including demons, kappa, the zodiac, Buddhist Shinto, and yokai transformations, are gathered both inside and outside the exhibition space, creating contemporary art pieces with their own storytelling. A PC is set up in the venue, allowing visitors to play the game. Additionally, a giant guardian deity, “Hyperman,” approximately 4 meters tall, is enshrined in the center of the venue. A sacred place for games and festivals will emerge amid the rich natural surroundings of forests and lakes.
The museum shop will be selling Takakurakazuki’s first picture book, “Onikappa and the Zodiac,” in advance.
Title: Takakurakazuki “Characters are Words”
Dates: November 16, 2025 (Sun) – March 1, 2026 (Sun), 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Admission Fee: ¥1,200 for adults, ¥700 for ages 4-18, Free for preschoolers
Venue: HYPER MUSEUM HANNO
Metsa, 327-6 Miyazawa, Hanno City, Saitama Prefecture 357-0001
URL: https://metsa-hanno.com/hypermuseumhanno/exhibition/2511/
