"BUG Art Square 2026" will be held from Wednesday, December 9, 2026 at BUG, an art venue operated by Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. in Marunouchi, Tokyo. Independent curator Kaho Ikeda (池田佳穂) joins as co-curator.
The project is an art fair centered on the exhibition and sale of works, with interaction and hands-on experiences built in. Twenty artists and groups with a wide range of careers, working in painting, sculpture, photography, and other forms of expression, are taking part. During the run, the participating artists will hold more than 30 programs and talk events. A talk event and a tour with contemporary art collector Daisuke Miyatsu (宮津大輔) are also planned. The aim is to create an open place for exchange and experiences that goes beyond simply buying works.
What Is BUG Art Square?
BUG Art Square builds on BUG School (バグスクール), held in fiscal 2023 to 2025, and puts the concept of a "square" (plaza) at its center. It is an art project that spans exhibition, exchange, and sales. The exhibition space is meant to be more than a place for viewing works. It is developed as a "square" where artists, collectors, art workers, and visitors can spend time as they like and share their creative work and learning. The space is designed to accommodate many ways of spending time, such as viewing works, enjoying conversation, joining a workshop, or watching public art-making.
This year, 20 artists and groups take part. Expression and people come together, sharing their knowledge and experience and nurturing new relationships and practices. By treating viewing, dialogue, learning, and collecting as one connected experience through the purchase of works, the project also proposes a new kind of art fair that puts interaction at its center.
Ways to Enjoy BUG Art Square
See
With the "square" (plaza) as its central concept, a record 20 artists and groups, the most in BUG's history, take part. They work in a variety of fields, including painting, sculpture, photography, and installation, and have a range of careers. Rather than dividing the works into individual booths, the exhibition presents them within a playfully designed space, so visitors can encounter diverse forms of expression.
The space is meant to be open, so that visitors can spend time as they like, whether by talking with others or joining a workshop in addition to viewing the works.
Buy
All works on display are available for purchase. Visitors can bring a favorite work home or to the office. Part of the sales (profits after deducting artwork production costs, shipping expenses, and the like) will be donated to Save the Children Japan (公益社団法人セーブ・ザ・チルドレン・ジャパン) to support its activities for children.
Details on the works available for purchase will be published in stages on the website below.
https://bug.art/exhibition/bugartsquare-2026/purchase/
Selected Works
キュンチョメ, May Your Wounds Heal (あなたの傷が癒えますように) S05, 2025. Photography, embroidery.
Photo: Jun Yokoyama
九鬼知也, Planet Juggler, 2026. Ceramic clay, glaze, paint.
近藤拓丸, Dog of the Circle of Confusion (錯乱円の犬), 2026. Canvas, oil paint, resin.
寺本愛, Ceaseless #15, 2023. Paper, colored pencil, watercolor.
澤あも愛紅, Plum 2 (梅２), 2025. Oil on canvas, oil on acrylic panel, nails.
矢野憩啓, Dreamcatcher, 2026. Oil on canvas.
Join
During the run, each of the 20 participating artists and groups will hold a program of their own. Workshops that let visitors retrace how a work is made and talk events focusing on the artists' interests and backgrounds are among the varied programs planned. They are open not only to those considering buying a work, but also to anyone who wants to learn more about the works or enjoy meeting the artists.
Reservations and details for the programs will be announced on the website as they become available.
https://bug.art/exhibition/bugartsquare-2026/event/
Artist Event Dates
- 秋山花: January 11 (Mon., holiday)
- 磯村暖: January 30 (Sat.)
- 小笠原周: December 26 (Sat.)
- キュンチョメ: January 24 (Sun.)
- 銀色なつみ: December 18 (Fri.)
- 九鬼知也: January 10 (Sun.)
- 近藤拓丸: December 19 (Sat.)
- 澤あも愛紅: January 16 (Sat.)
- 須田日菜子: January 15 (Fri.)
- 〇九一四: December 12 (Sat.) and January 9 (Sat.)
- 谷口典央: December 20 (Sun.)
- 千賀健史: December 13 (Sun.)
- 寺本愛: January 16 (Sat.)
- 中村耕士: January 17 (Sun.)
- 西村涼: January 23 (Sat.)
- 深川未貴: December 26 (Sat.)
- Modern Angels: December 11 (Fri.), December 23 (Wed.), January 11 (Mon., holiday), January 20 (Wed.), and January 31 (Sun.)
- 矢野憩啓: January 10 (Sun.)
- 葭村太一: December 27 (Sun.)
- 李漢強: December 12 (Sat.)
Related Events
A talk event with art collector Daisuke Miyatsu will also be held as a related event. In addition to a pre-event talk on the appeal of buying and owning art, an opening tour with this exhibition's guest curator Kaho Ikeda is planned for December 9 (Wed.).
- December 3 (Thu.): Pre-event talk (guest: Daisuke Miyatsu)
- December 9 (Wed.): Opening tour (guest: Daisuke Miyatsu)
About the Curator
Kaho IKEDA (池田佳穂)
Photo: Shingo Kanagawa
Kaho Ikeda is an independent curator. Her research focuses mainly on East and Southeast Asia, covering collectives, DIY culture, and cultural activism.
She has served as co-program director of 山中suplex (Shiga) since 2023 and as a guest curator at the art center BUG (Tokyo, 2023 onward), BENTEN (Tokyo, 2024 to 2025), 神戸六甲ミーツ・アート2024, and the Open Contemporary Art Center (Taiwan, 2025 to 2026). She was selected for the curator category of "T3 NEW TALENT" at T3 PHOTO FESTIVAL TOKYO and organized an exhibition at the festival. She has also been a lecturer for the GAKU course "Curation as Hospitality" (歓待としてのキュレーション) since 2024.
Exhibition Details
- Exhibition name: BUG Art Square 2026
- Participating artists: 秋山花, 磯村暖, 小笠原周, キュンチョメ, 銀色なつみ, 九鬼知也, 近藤拓丸, 澤あも愛紅, 須田日菜子, 〇九一四, 谷口典央, 千賀健史, 寺本愛, 中村耕士, 西村涼, 深川未貴, Modern Angels, 矢野憩啓, 葭村太一, 李漢強
- Co-curator: Kaho Ikeda
- Dates: Wednesday, December 9, 2026 to Sunday, January 31, 2027
- Hours: 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM (closed Tuesdays)
- Closed period: Tuesday, December 29, 2026 to Tuesday, January 5, 2027
- Admission: Free
- Organizer: BUG (Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd.)
- Exhibition website: https://bug.art/exhibition/bugartsquare-2026/
Venue and Access
BUG
Gran Tokyo SOUTH TOWER 1F, 1-9-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-6601
Access
- Directly connected to JR Tokyo Station, Yaesu South Exit
- 5-minute walk from Exit 8 of Tokyo Metro Kyobashi Station
- 7-minute walk from Exit 1 of Tokyo Metro Ginza-itchome Station
Facility Information
- BUG is on the first floor of an office building and can be reached from the entrance without steps. The space extends behind the café.
- There is no nursing room.
- There is one multipurpose restroom on the same floor of the building, equipped with a diaper-changing table, a baby chair, and ostomate facilities.
- There are several restrooms on the first basement floor (Yaesu Underground Shopping Area), reachable by elevator or escalator.
- BUG has no dedicated parking lot. Please use public transportation.
BUG staff aim to provide support and information, as far as possible, so that visitors with a variety of circumstances can be welcomed.
