HERALBONY, Inc. (hereinafter “HERALBONY”), the organizer of the international art award “HERALBONY Art Prize 2024,” has selected “Evaluation” from a total of 1,973 entries through a rigorous judging process. Haruka Asano, the recipient of the Grand Prize, will receive 3 million yen to support her creative activities. Additionally, HERALBONY will enter into a contract with Asano to promote her distinctive art through various licenses both domestically and internationally. Besides the Grand Prize, Corporate Prizes were given to seven recipients, and four Jury Prizes were also announced.
HERALBONY established the “HERALBONY Art Prize 2024” on January 31st, “Day of Uniqueness,” intending to recognize and showcase the talents of artists with disabilities, paving the way for their continued success.
The “HERALBONY Art Prize 2024 Exhibition,” featuring all 62 artworks from 58 awardees including all prize winners and artists who made it to the final judging, will commence on August 10, 2024, at the Earth Garden, SMBC East Building 1F (Address: 1-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo).
For more details, visit the “HERALBONY Art Prize 2024” special site:https://hb.heralbony.jp/heralbonyartcollection
■Grand Prize
Haruka Asano
「Evaluation」（2024）
POSCA on rice bag 960×1640mm
Artist Profile
After receiving her diagnosis at the age twenty, Haruka Asano struggled to manage her schizophrenia as she went back and forth between hospital and home. At the age of twenty-nine, she began to focus on painting. Along the way, she painted the award-winning “Hyoka” (meaning “evaluation” in Japanese), which she said was born from her genuine wish to be recognized. Before working on the piece, Asano was “ashamed” of her desire; however, she learned that she was free to express herself after someone told her that “Longing for acknowledgment is also a reflection of your true consciousness.” Created on the theme of coral reefs that release eggs on the night of the full moon, the artwork is presented on deconstructed komebukuro (traditional Japanese rice packaging made from kraft paper), with intricately rendered motifs including a star-filled sky, outer space, and the moon. Inspired by her parents, whose influence is clearly prominent in Asano’s art, the drawing also represents a vision she had in her mother’s womb, and the image of her father, who is a coral researcher.
Jury’s Comments by Christian Berst
If no concentric structure on paper, as powerful as it may be, could even approach the radiating energy of the sun, this artwork may very well have the same kind of invigorating effect. Only this artwork, with its purplish colors, also bears a vast array of what seems to be burgeoning flowers. What is then achieved is the pairing of a fundamental cause of vegetal growth, solar power, with one of its most dashing consequences, the pure blossoming of beauty. It thus comes as no surprise that Haruka Asano’s geometrical expansion of bulbs throughout her horizontally oriented rice bag immediately conquered the hearts of the jury.
■Corporate Prize
The “Corporate Prize” will be presented by Gold Sponsors Tokyo Tatemono Co., Ltd., Sangetsu Corporation, East Japan Railway Company, JINS Inc., MARUI GROUP CO., LTD., Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., and TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION. The awarded artworks are planned to be adopted within the services, products, or operations of each respective company. Through collaborations initiated by the Corporate Prizes, we aim to create opportunities for artists to showcase their unique talents.
K.Uchiyama 「World Map in Red and Blue」(TOKYO TATEMONO | Brillia Prize)
Misaki Oya「Castle」(sangetsu Prize)
Shunichi Iwase「Indonesian Shadow Picture」(East Japan Railway Company Prize)
Mika Kamijo「The Colorful Mind in Dreamland」(JINS Prize)
Fran Duncan「Blue Marble」(MARUI GROUP Prize)
Shigaku Mizukami「Unknown」(JAL Prize)
Daisuke Shibuta「A Pod of Whales」(TOYOTA MOTOR Prize)
■Jury Prize
Four Jury Prizes were selected based on each jury’s individual perspective. Due to the unexpectedly high number of outstanding submissions this year, we have newly established this prize.
Susan Te Kahurangi King「Untitled, Ref: A20113」Jury:Christian Berst(Founder of christian berst art brut )
S. Proski「Untitled」Jury: Katsuhiko Hibino(Artist / President of Tokyo University of the Arts)
isousin「Doodle Photo (the Wall Covered with Tiles)」 Jury:Hiromi Kurosawa(Chief Curator at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art,Kanazawa / Advisor of HERALBONY Co., Ltd.)
Shu Toriyama「Uganda (black)」Jury:Emina Morioka(LVMH Métiers d’Art Japan Director)
Opening Event on August 10th (Saturday)
The event will feature appearances by Grand Prize-winning artist Haruka Asano, HERALBONY Co-CEOs Takaya Matsuda and Fumito Matsuda, as well as juries Hiromi Kurosawa and Christian Burst. Highlights include a live art painting by Haruka Asano and an art cruise conducted exclusively in sign language with guide Fumi Kikunaga from HERALBONY. We have prepared numerous events for this special day marking the beginning of the exhibition, and we look forward to welcoming everyone.
Event Schedule:
11:00-12:00 Opening Event
13:00-14:00 Live Art Painting by Haruka Asano (Grand Prize Winner)
14:30-15:15 Art Cruise (Sign Language Only, no audio guide) Guide: HERALBONY Fumi Kikunaga
■ Exhibition Overview
Title: “HERALBONY Art Prize 2024 Exhibition”
Dates: August 10, 2024 (Sat) – September 22, 2024 (Sun)
Hours: 10:00 – 18:00
Admission: Free
Venue: SMBC East Building 1F Earth Garden (1-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Installation: Super Factory Co., Ltd.
Design: 6D
Curator: Hiromi Kurosawa (HERALBONY Advisor / Chief Curator, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa)
Organizer: HERALBONY, Inc.
■ Special Contents for HERALBONY LINE friends
Exclusive contents are available for those who are following HERALBONY’s official LINE in advance:
① Digital Audio Guide
A digital audio guide featuring distinguished guests will be exclusively available on your smartphone while enjoying the art. *Please be mindful of the volume in the exhibition area. We recommend using your headphones.
② Award-winning Artwork Postcard
You will receive a postcard featuring “Hyoka” by Grand Prize winner Haruka Asano.
To follow the HERALBONY Official LINE: https://page.line.me/?accountId=heralbony
*Present your reservation screen at the exhibition reception to claim your benefits.
*No reservation in advance is required for free admission to the exhibition.
▼List of All Artists
Ryoya Akaike／Haruka Asano／Alison Escobar (The United Kingdom) ／Alex Thomas (The United Kingdom) ／Anthony Carlton Cooke (The United States)／Tetsutaro Ando／Naoto Iguchi／isousin／Shunichi Iwase／Asumi Uchizono／K.Uchiyama／Esther Mir (Spain)／Misaki Oya／KATSU／Catherine Lapeyre (France)／Hiroki Kanazawa／Mika Kamijo／Carlo Buyck (Belgium)／Daiji Kishibe／Yukihiro Kokubo／Daisuke Sakai／Sarah Vines (The United Kingdom)／JIU／Daisuke Shibuta ／Judith Schossböck (Austria)／Julia Issi (The United Kingdom)／Susan Te Kahurangi King (New Zealand)／S. Proski (The United States)／Midori Takatsuki ／Tokinori Tanaka ／Tesfaye Bekele Beri (Ethiopia)／Tsutomu Togashi／Masaaki Toyoyoshi／Shu Toriyama／Michihito Nakano ／Yasuhiro Nishikawa／Takuma Hayakawa／Takashi Hayashitani／Masaharu Hiyoshi／Koudai Hiwatashi／Nozomi Fujita／Fran Duncan (The United Kingdom)／Bénédicte Sieffert (France)／Bolette Liljeroth Lund (Denmark)／Mark Noble (The United Kingdom)／Maima Tani (Finland)／Yasuhiro Maeda／marina ／Miguel Ángel Hernando Perdiguero (Spain)／Shigaku Mizukami／Masaki Mori ／Sakutaro Yamaguchi／Ai Yamamoto／Yucca／Fuma Yoshida／Shun Yonaha／Rodrigo Cabrera Rubio (Spain)／Robert Kuzmicz (The United Kingdom)
▼Countries of residence of exhibiting artists
America, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom
■Symbol mark
The symbol mark, formed by merging the “H” from HERALBONY and the “A” from Art, is inspired by the concept of a “spotlight” highlighting the “artists in the lead” within the HERALBONY Art Prize. We anticipate that the unique expressions of each individual will broaden the platform where they radiate, fostering the emergence of new talents.