Curator’s Talk | Behind the “JAPAN CRAFT” Exhibition

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Category: Events Calendar

Date and Time

• Saturday, Nov 7, 2026  2pm - 4pm

Location

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Details

To celebrate the opening of “JAPAN CRAFT | Art for Living – Hyakkō,” JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles presents a special fireside chat with Takahiro Nagata, curator of the exhibition and member of the creative team at Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd., the company behind the Japanese lifestyle goods brand MUJI. The conversation will be followed by light afternoon refreshments. Participants are encouraged to visit the exhibition, open from 11 am, in advance of the Curator’s Talk.

Offering a behind-the-scenes look at the exhibition, the discussion will explore Japanese craft—where it has come from, how it continues to evolve, and the challenges facing makers who sustain these practices today. Drawing on his travels across Japan to visit nearly all of the 123 artisans featured in the exhibition, Nagata will share stories and vignettes gathered along the way, giving a rare glimpse into the lives, workshops, and philosophies behind the objects on view.

The conversation will also highlight the exhibition’s central idea of design with purpose: craft shaped not by abstract notions of tradition, but by the particular way a maker chooses to live. Nagata will highlight specific works that embody this idea, considering how the maker’s life shapes the objects they create, and how those objects, in turn, become part of everyday life.

Nagata will also reflect on his work at Ryohin Keikaku, and why MUJI—a company built on functional, unadorned design—has created this ambitious exhibition of contemporary Japanese craft. His insights will reveal how supporting the living culture of craft and drawing on distinctive aspects of Japanese culture, are considered essential to the company’s identity and philosophy.

Join us for a relaxed, wide-ranging conversation that offers new ways to see the 2,000 objects on view—and a deeper understanding of the makers, and the creative perspective behind the exhibition.

Following the talk, participants are invited to enjoy non-alcoholic beverages and MUJI’s delightful light snacks, and continue the conversation while exploring the exhibition together. *Please note capacity is limited, and RSVP is required.