Talks & Events
Keynote by Keith Whittle, Curator and Writer
Keith Whittle curated and opened the first in a programme of five talks, featuring notable figures in the international art world: Lewis Biggs, Founding Director of the Liverpool Biennial; Shubigi Rao, Curator of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2022–23; Fram Kitagawa, General Director of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale; and Leah Gordon, artist and curator.
Whittle’s keynote explored the concept of “Biennalisation” and its implications for the contemporary art world — examining how the proliferation of biennials globally shapes artistic production, curatorial practices, cultural policy, and audience engagement. His presentation addressed the growing influence of global curatorial discourse, the blurring of boundaries between art and non-art categories, and the increasing visibility of contemporary practices emerging from non-Western regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Together, these developments have contributed to the proliferation of periodic international exhibitions and a significant reconfiguration of the global art landscape. Building on Whittle’s keynote, the following talks expanded on the complex and often contested position of the biennial in relation to local contexts.
Presented in partnership with ArtLink, Inishowen
Talk by Leah Gordon, Co-founder of the Ghetto Biennale
In 2023, the Atis Rezistans | Ghetto Biennale exhibition at St. Kunigundis Church during documenta fifteen received AICA Germany’s Exhibition of the Year award.
In a talk moderated by Keith Whittle, artist, curator, writer, and co-founder of the Ghetto Biennale, Haiti, Leah Gordon discussed the Biennale’s origins as a response to social, racial, class, and geographic immobility. Gordon recalled an early strap line from the first Ghetto Biennale: “What happens when first-world art rubs up against third-world art? Does it bleed?”—a reworking of Gloria Anzaldúa’s quote: “The U.S.–Mexican border es una herida abierta (is an open wound) where the Third World grates against the First and bleeds.” She reflected on the often-uncomfortable encounters at these intersections and the new practices and relationships that can emerge from them.
Read >> Ghetto Biennale
Read >> Leah Gordon
Watch >> Ghetto Biennale
Watch >> Atis Rezistans | Ghetto Biennale, documenta 2022
Watch >> The Sculptors of Grand Rue
The 2nd Ghetto Biennale, held in December 2011, revealed the contradictions at the heart of its mission. Though conceived to expose social, racial, and geographic immobility, it risked replicating the very hierarchies it aimed to dismantle. Co-founder Leah Gordon addressed these tensions and how later editions sought to confront them. She also spoke about Haiti’s ongoing political crisis and how the Biennale has adapted, reflecting on its role in challenging sameness and difference within an allegedly de-centred global art world. After the acclaimed Atis Rezistans | Ghetto Biennale exhibition at documenta fifteen—winner of AICA Germany’s 2022 Exhibition of the Year—and a recent showing at RISING Festival in Melbourne, the 8th Biennale was held in Jacmel in early 2024. Due to insecurity in Port-au-Prince, the move—though temporary—opened new connections with Haitian artists and venues.
Leah Gordon is an artist, curator, and writer whose work explores the entangled histories of colonialism, capitalism, and class. Her films and photographs have been shown internationally, and she co-curated the Haitian Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale. Her documentary Kanaval: A People’s History of Haiti in Six Chapterspremiered in 2022 and was broadcast on BBC Arena. She is co-director of the Ghetto Biennale and has curated major exhibitions in the UK, US, and Haiti.
Presented in partnership with ArtLink, Inishowen and hosted by Void Gallery.
Talk by Fram Kitagawa, director of Echigo-Tsumari Triennale
Over the past two decades, Japan has witnessed a surge in ambitious contemporary art festivals responding to ecological, social, and economic challenges. Among the most influential is the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, one of the world’s largest art festivals, held every three years in the rural Satoyama region of Niigata Prefecture. It offers a powerful rethinking of human-nature relationships in the age of globalisation and the Anthropocene.
In his talk moderated by Keith Whittle, Fram Kitagawa—visionary curator and General Director of the Triennale since its inception in 2000—discussed the ideas behind his life’s work and its wide-reaching impact on contemporary art and Japanese society. Featuring major international artists including Marina Abramović, James Turrell, Yayoi Kusama, Antony Gormley, and Ilya & Emilia Kabakov, the Triennale blends art with local culture, revitalising communities through socially engaged practice.
Read >> Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale
Read >> Art Place Japan: Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and the Vision to Reconnect Art and Nature
Watch >> Keynote by Fram Kitagawa
Watch >> Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale
Born in Niigata Prefecture in 1946, Kitagawa has long been a pioneering figure in art-led community development. His past projects include the Faret Tachikawa Art Project, Apartheid Non! festival, and cultural work at Daikanyama Hillside Terrace. He has also led other major art festivals across Japan, including the Setouchi Triennale and Northern Alps Art Festival.
His numerous accolades include the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France), the Order of Culture (Poland), Japan’s Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon, and the Order of Australia (AO). His book Art Place Japan: Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and the Vision to Reconnect Art and Nature has been translated into several languages.
Presented in partnership with ArtLink, Inishowen. Special thanks to Rei Maeda, Art Front Gallery and Akemi Nomoto
Artist Talks & Publication Launch
Mari Katayama in conversation with Simon Baker
Royal Society of Arts, London
At the Royal Society of Arts, London, White Rainbow and the Japan Foundation hosted an artist talk with Mari Katayama to coincide with her solo show at White Rainbow. Katayama discussed how her physical challenges have shaped her artistic process and body image. The talk was followed by a conversation with Simon Baker, director of the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris.
Daisuke Ida in conversation with Keith Whittle
3331 Arts Chiyoda, Tokyo
Arts Chiyoda presented an in conversation between Daisuke Ida and Keith Whittle, to coincide with his solo show at 3331. Ida discussed his artistic process, the aura of the artwork, The Gates of Hell (French: La Porte de l’Enfer) a monumental sculptural group work by French artist Auguste Rodin that depicts a scene from the Inferno, the first section of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. Ida’s reproduction of this iconic work and the process of its reproduction, plurality of possible copies, reactivates the object reproduced.
Organised by 3331 Arts Chiyoda
Art that Speaks: Meiro Koizumi
Royal Society of Arts, London
White Rainbow and Japan Foundation presented an artist talk by Meiro Koizumi, to coincide with his solo show at White Rainbow. Meiro Koizumi will introduce his representative works to date, his most recent work showcased at the gallery, and his challenging attitude towards the subject.The talk was followed by conversation with Charlotte Knaup.
Taro Izumi in Conversation
Jerwood Space, London
White Rainbow and Japan Foundation presented an artist talk by Taro Izumi, to coincide with his solo exhibition at White Rainbow.Taro was in conversation with ArtReview Editor-in-chief Mark Rappolt, expanding on the themes behind his exhibition and previous works.
Aki Sasamoto ‘Clothes Line’ performance and catalogue launch
White Rainbow, London
A performance lecture by artist Aki Sasamoto, and the launch of a new catalogue to accompany her exhibition ‘Clothes Line’ at White Rainbow.
![Moré Moré [Leaky]: The Falling Water Given #5 (detail), 2017 Wood Frame, found objects, water pump system](http://keithwhittle.org/wp-content/uploads/slider/cache/b9a24c0997a6b4f529fac3afb4893af7/YukoMohri.04.jpg)
Yuko Mohri and Jason Waite in conversation
Camden Arts Centre, London
Following Yuko Mohri’s first UK solo show in 2017, and coinciding with her Voluta exhibition at Camden Arts Centre, White Rainbow hosted a talk between independent curator Jason Waite and Mohri. They discussed their work and reflected on socially engaged and participatory art practices in contemporary Japan, especially after the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Disaster.
Chim↑Pom: White Rainbow and ArtReview Asia presented Chim↑Pom in conversation.
ArtReview Bar, London
A special screening programme and conversation with Chim↑Pom members.Tokyo-based artist collective Chim↑Pom are known for their sharp social critique and provocative actions in public space and in contested territories around the world, including the Fukushima Nuclear Zone, Japan, and the U.S.-Mexico border.The group discussed their practice with reference to their current solo exhibition at White Rainbow, alongside a newly selected screening of the group’s performance works.
Chikako Yamashiro ‘Shapeshifter’ Catalogue Launch
White Rainbow, London
Launch event of a new monograph on Chikako Yamashiro, to coincide with her current solo exhibition, Shapeshifter. The catalogue includes a newly commissioned essay by Isabella Maidment and an artist response by Claire Potter.
Yuko Mohri: Catalogue Launch
White Rainbow, London
White Rainbow was delighted to launch the first Yuko Mohri catalogue with a drinks reception and talk between Yuko Mohri and Richard Wentworth. Mohri’s catalogue features Moré Moré [Leaky] – her recent exhibition at White Rainbow, as well as related texts and previous works.
Closing Event: ‘Overlay’ | Book Launch and Performance
White Rainbow, London
Closing event of ‘Overlay’, an exhibition of new works by four young artists — and a historic work by a celebrated older artist — gathered in response to the 10th Tokyo Biennale, 1970. Artists: Cathy Haynes, Nancy Holt, Hannah Lees, Zoë Paul, Claire Potter. White Rainbow was delighted to announce the launch of a new publication containing an extended conversation between the artists and the exhibition’s curator, Jeremy Millar, as well as reference and installation photographs.In conjunction, Claire Potter performed a newly written text developed for the event.‘Like an idiot on a moor’, expands on the themes from Potter’s exhibited work ‘Cast Metal Nut’ and puts them in correspondence with Nancy Holt’s ‘Trail Markers’.
Fitz Lates | Performance by Patrick Coyle and Jenny Moore
White Rainbow, London
To coincide with the Fitzrovia Lates, White Rainbow was pleased to host a collaborative performance between Patrick Coyle and Jenny Moore, in response to White Rainbow’s exhibition, Index II, by Shigeo Anzaï. Coyle and Moore staged an improvised performance in response to a 1984 performance in Tokyo by Joseph Beuys and Nam June Paik, as documented by Anzaï.The original performance, Coyote III with piano variation, was a duet between the two artists. Nam June Paik improvised on piano while Beuys conducted a vocal performance that varied from animalistic grunting to sophisticated sound poetry.
White Rainbow also launched publication of a new monograph on Shigeo Anzaï. Titled Index, the book contextualises Anzaï’s career as a celebrated recorder of contemporary art.
Common Thread: Artist Talk by Satoru Aoyama
ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts) | Studio, The Mall, London
Building up layer upon layer of intricate coloured thread, Japanese contemporary artist Satoru Aoyama creates photo-realistic interpretations of his subject matter entirely constructed through the art of embroidery. Like pixels on a monitor, Aoyama reproduces modern media images through an assemblage of fine stitches to disguise his craft and any evidence that his efforts are handmade and thus tricking the eye. After graduating from university in both London and Chicago. Aoyama explores and re-values craft art forms and technology rendered archaic in modern art with his highly original ideas and methods.
In conjunction with his solo exhibition at White Rainbow in London, Aoyama gave an illustrated talk about his medium and method. He discussed the relationship between the life of the modern world and technology, issues of gender and labour which are motifs in the foreground of his pieces, and how the creativity of his work invokes the sensibility of human beings.
Following the talk, Aoyama was joined in conversation by Dr Caterina Albano, Reader in Visual Culture and Science at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.
Fitzrovia Lates | Ken Ikeda music performance
White Rainbow, London
30 minutes performance in collaboration with the Japanese musician Ken Ikeda for ‘Fitzrovia Lates’. Ken Ikeda is a composer born in Tokyo (1964) – currently living in New York. He has exhibited sound art and visual installations around the world. He often collaborates with artists, such as the painter Tadanoori Yokoo and artists Mariko Mori and Hiroshi Sugimoto. He has also composed and recorded for the filmmaker David Lynch.
The performance accompanied the exhibition ‘Division of Labour’ by Satoru Aoyama, which presented his series of embroideries titled Map of the World (in reference to the Italian artist Alighiero Boetti’s Mappa del Mondo, 1989).
Intervening in Nature: Talk and in conversation between Kenji Kajiya and Keith Whittle
The Japan Foundation, London
This talk explored the rise of non-museum-based art exhibitions in Japan during the early 21st century. From artist-led initiatives to expansive countryside festivals, these events—often referred to as art projects—emphasise process, impermanence, and site-specificity.
As international biennales and triennials proliferate, Japan’s major festivals such as the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and Setouchi Triennale stand out as uniquely embedded in natural and rural landscapes. Through a historical and critical lens, Kenji Kajiya and Keith Whittle traced the development of these projects, examining how they engage with both environment and society.
Organised by The Japan Foundation, London
Post 3.11: What Can Art Do? – Talk by Ichiro Endo, Keith Whittle and Kaori Homma
Post 3.11 is a series of talks exploring how artists have supported communities affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan’s Tohoku region. Highlighting individual responses, the series considers the role of art in times of crisis—raising awareness, restoring confidence, and questioning whether art must serve a practical social function.
For the inaugural session in 2012, the Japan Foundation invited Ichiro Endo—a painter, performer, and self-described “future artist” known for his vibrant, optimistic work shown at venues such as Art Tower Mito, BACC Bangkok, and the Beppu Contemporary Art Festival. Reflecting on his projects in Tohoku, Endo was joined in conversation by Kaori Homma, UK-based Japanese artist, and Keith Whittle, curator and Japan Foundation Fellow. Together, they explored how such initiatives reshape the relationship between artist and society.
Organised by The Japan Foundation, London
Film Without Film: SHIMURAbros in conversation with Keith Whittle
Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London
Kashiwa Artist Residency: Adam Chodzko, Sutapa Biswas
The Beppu Contemporary Art Triennial 2015, also known as “Mixed Bathing World,” featured a rich lineup of talks and artist‑in‑residence projects. Among them, a noteworthy discussion brought together British-based artists Adam Chodzko and Sutapa Biswas, alongside curator and progremme director Keith Whittle, who led their residences and exhibition’s at the Fujiya Gallery (Ichiyahaku) in Beppu’s Kannawa district.
Please click here to listen.
Child of The Atom: David Blandy in conversation with Keith Whittle
Create London, The Rose Lipman Building, EAST, London
As part of the Frieze London VIP events in 2013, and coinciding with the solo exhibition Anjin 1600: Edo Wonderpark, this conversation between artist David Blandy and curator Keith Whittle offered insight into Blandy’s multifaceted practice. The discussion centered on Anjin 1600 while also reflecting on earlier key works such as Child of the Atom.
Blandy’s work navigates the complex terrain of cultural identity, drawing from a wide range of popular media—from hip-hop and soul to video games, manga, and anime. Through digital imagery, including YouTube tutorials, music videos, and game narratives, he explores and deconstructs these influences, often casting himself as a displaced or alienated figure within the mythologies of global pop culture.
Presented at The Rose Lipman Building in partnership with East London arts agency Create London.
Daisuke Ohba: The Light Field, talk and in conversation with Keith Whittle
The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, London
This talk accompanied the London solo debut of Japanese artist Daisuke Ohba, whose distinctive ‘light field’ paintings explore the interplay between light, perception, and pictorial space. Using iridescent pearl paint, Ohba creates surfaces that shift in color and image depending on the viewer’s angle or changes in lighting—inviting a dynamic and immersive visual experience.
Organised by The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, London.
Mirrored Lenses: A Brief History of Japanese Video and Media Art
Cornerhouse, Manchester
Programmed alongside The Conquest of Imperfection, the first major UK exhibition of Japanese media artist Masaki Fujihata, Keith Whittle’s talk explored Japanese moving image and media art, focusing on how generations of artists have embraced and manipulated technology.
Covering work from the 1960s to today, the talk highlighted key figures like Shigeko Kubota and artists blending performance, sculpture, and moving image to merge the physical and digital through new media and video installations.
The talk accompanied Fujihata’s UK solo debut at Cornerhouse, Manchester.
Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions: Matter and Light talk by Liliane Lijn
V&A South Kensington, London
A programme of talks that opened with Liliane Lijn, a pioneer of kinetic art known for her experiments with light, movement, words, film, liquids, and industrial materials. Born in New York, she studied archaeology at the Sorbonne and art history at the École du Louvre, Paris (1958). Between 1961 and 1963, living in New York, Lijn explored fire, acids, light, poetry, movement, and liquids, quickly establishing herself as a leading kinetic artist through numerous international exhibitions.
She moved to London in 1966 and has since participated in many group exhibitions across Britain, Europe, and Japan. Her work is held in major public and private collections worldwide. In 2008, she was one of five artists featured in the BBC1 program Let There Be Light in the Imagine series, presented by Alan Yentob. Recent highlights include exhibitions at Riflemaker Gallery (2008), the ICA London, and Poem Game during the Serpentine Poetry Marathon curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist.
Curated by Keith Whittle and presented in partnership with V&A South Kensington, Reflexions, Refractions, Inflexions: Matter and Light is a series of artist talks exploring light and matter.
Academic & Research Related Talks & Events
Art, Politics and Censorship in Japan and Beyond
The Sainsbury Institute, Norwich & Tokyo Geidai, Japan
Biennial Fever: An Anthology of Perennial International Exhibitions of Contemporary Art
Arts Initiative Tokyo (AIT), Tokyo, Japan
This keynote explored the concept of “Biennalisation” and its implications for the contemporary art world — examining how the proliferation of biennials globally shapes artistic production, curatorial practices, cultural policy, and audience engagement. His presentation addressed the growing influence of global curatorial discourse, the blurring of boundaries between art and non-art categories, and the increasing visibility of contemporary practices emerging from non-Western regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
The talks reflected on the shifting roles of biennials in shaping contemporary art practices, institutions, and public engagement worldwide.
Special thanks to: AIT, Bienal de São Paulo, The Ghetto Biennale, dOCUMENTA, Istanbul Biennial, Gwangju Biennale, Shanghai Biennale, Los Angeles Biennial, Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, Kenpoku 2016, Manifesta, Yokohama Triennale, Sharjah Biennial, Setouchi Triennale, Venice Biennale, Havana Biennale, and Biennale of Sydney.
Organised by Arts Initiative Tokyo (AIT) as part of the MAD programme.
Art School Futures: What does it mean to be an Art Graduate in 2013?
Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan
This one-day international symposium marked the beginning of the Global Art Joint Project, launched in 2015 by the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, in collaboration with leading global art institutions: École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Written by Keith Whittle and co-organised with the Painting Department at Tokyo University of the Arts, the event brought together staff, students, and graduates from Central Saint Martins and Tokyo Geidai, alongside established British and Japanese artists, curators, and project managers. Together, they explored support structures for emerging practices, and the careers of new and recent graduates in today’s art world.
The symposium highlighted both regional and global perspectives—particularly Japan–UK relations—with insights drawn from personal and professional experiences of the guest speakers, many of whom were alumni of the partnering institutions.
Special thanks to Professor Sakaguchi (Tokyo Geidai), Mark Dunhill (Dean, Central Saint Martins), Professor Graham Ellard, and the International Office at Central Saint Martins.