DESIGNART TOKYO 2026 brings 150 art and design works to venues across Tokyo
DESIGNART TOKYO 2026 will take place from October 30 to November 8, celebrating the festival’s 10th anniversary with approximately 150 creative works from 13 countries across Tokyo, Japan. Under the theme Hibiki, the annual design and art festival will bring together contemporary art, architecture, product design, fashion and technology at approximately 70 locations. Its main venue, AUTOBAHN / KK Line, will occupy a 4,000-square-metre section of the former Tokyo Expressway in Ginza, introducing a temporary cultural destination within the city’s existing infrastructure. Running from October 30 to November 3, the main exhibition will feature installations, design presentations, performances and public discussions.
Established in 2017, DESIGNART TOKYO connects international creatives with Tokyo’s cultural and commercial districts. This year’s central venue takes over a former elevated roadway that once supported Japan’s rapid economic growth. Architectural studio ALTEMY, led by architect Eri Tsugawa, is responsible for a sculptural environment accommodating four areas: exhibitions, a curated design store, an open-air café and a stage for performances and talks. The programme considers how existing urban infrastructure can accommodate new public activities, with installations addressing materials, technology and human perception.
Among the featured projects, AZUMA PLYWOOD and HAKUTEN will present RE : FIT, an architectural structure constructed using PANECO board M, a material manufactured from discarded clothing. HaKU Design Studio will introduce FUWA, developed with Wacoal using its Melooop 3D melt-blown technology to produce soft fibrous structures with organic and geometric patterns. Mitsubishi Electric Integrated Design Center will investigate the potential of metal 3D printing, while Reddish Studio’s Speculative Hummus applies ceramic production techniques to traditional Middle Eastern food, examining cultural identity through experimental product design.
Another installation, developed by Range Rover in collaboration with Klein Dytham architecture, will accompany the Japanese debut of the Range Rover SV Ultra. Named Hibiki, the presentation places the vehicle beneath a waveform-inspired structure referencing its integrated sound technology. Elsewhere, Konel and X Vision will present Landscape Superimpose LED, using transparent displays to overlay digital imagery onto the former expressway. The installation responds to the location’s transition from waterway to automobile infrastructure and its emerging pedestrian use, connecting digital art with the history of the surrounding city.
The festival’s design store, curated by Jean-Luc Colonna d’Istria with spatial design by architectural collective GROUP, will feature work by Kwangho Lee, Ronan Bouroullec, nendo and other international designers. Beyond Ginza, exhibitions will extend to Tokyo Midtown, Hibiya OKUROJI, AXIS Gallery and numerous independent venues. Highlights include Industrial Romanticism 2, presenting experimental prototypes from eight Japanese companies, and Forest: Perspectives, a research collaboration between Oji Holdings and design studio we+ examining different interpretations of the natural environment.
For its anniversary edition, DESIGNART TOKYO 2026 will also expand into Daikanyama and Ikejiri, introducing exhibitions dedicated to material experimentation, traditional craftsmanship and circular design. Projects include collaborative research by Citizen and Yamaha, contemporary Indian embroidery from Morii Darshan and installations examining aluminium, recycled resources and disassembly. Organised by the DESIGNART TOKYO Committee, the ten-day event will connect established brands, emerging designers and independent artists through a citywide programme of exhibitions and cultural activities.
All images courtesy of DESIGNART TOKYO , shared with permission
