Mari Katayama

Born in Saitama in 1987 and raised in Gunma, Japan. Graduated with a Master’s degree in Department of Intermedia Art at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2012. Suffering from congenital tibial hemimelia, Katayama had both legs amputated at the age of 9. Since then, she has created numerous self-portrait photography together with embroidered objects and decorated prosthesis, using her own body as a living sculpture. Her belief is that tracing herself connects with other people and her everyday life can be also connected with the society and the world, just like the patchwork made with threads and a needle by stitching borders.

In addition to her art creation, Katayama leads “High heel project” in which she wore customized high-heeled shoes specially made for prosthesis to perform on stage as a singer, model or keynote speaker. The motto of this project is to take advantage of any means including art and disabled body if it helps to expand the “freedom of choice” for those in desperate need.

Her major exhibitions include, “58th Venice Biennale 2019” (Giardini and Arsenale, Venice, Italy), “Broken Heart” (White Rainbow, London, 2019), “Photographs of Innocence and of Experience-Contemporary Japanese Photography vol.14” (Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Tokyo, 2017), “On the way home” (The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma, 2017), “Roppongi Crossing - My body, your voice” (Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2016), “Aichi Triennale 2013” (Nayabashi, Aichi), etc. Public collections include La Maison Rouge (Paris, France), Mori Art Museum (Tokyo, Japan), and Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (Tokyo, Japan). She received Encouraging Prize of Gunma Biennale for Young Artists in 2005, Grand Prix of Art Award Tokyo Marunouchi in 2012, Higashikawa Award for The New Photographer category in 2019 and Kimura Ihei Award in 2020. The first photo book “GIFT” was published in 2019 by United Vagabonds.


[Solo Exhibition]
2021 "leave-taking", Akio Nagasawa Gallery, Tokyo
2021 "home again", Maison Europ?enne de la Photographie STUDIO, Paris
2020 "home again", Shimadai Gallery - KYOTOGRAPHIE 2020, Kyoto
2019 “Mari Katayama”, Irving Stenn, Jr. Family Gallery, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor
2019 “Broken Heart”, White Rainbow, London
2017 “19872017”, Gallery Gateaux Festa Harada, Gunma
2017 “On the Way Home”, the Museum of Modern Art, Gunma
2016 “Self-portrait and object”, Renaiss Hall, Okayama
2016 “Artist in Rokku vol.3 Mari Katayama / bystander”, Miyaura Gallery Rokku, Naoshima (in conjunction with the Setouchi Triennale 2016)
2016 “Shadow Puppet - 3331 ART FAIR recommended artists”, 3331 gallery, Tokyo
2015 “25 days in tatsumachi studio”, Robson Coffee (Arts Maebashi), Gunma
2014 “you're mine”, Traumaris | Space, Tokyo
2014 “Mari Katayama solo exhibition”, Kitchen Gallery, Paris
2009 “Mari Katayama solo exhibition”, Gallery J, Gunma
2008 “Mari Katayama solo exhibition”, Slow Time, Gunma


[Group Exhibitions]
2021 “Look! Revelations on Art and Fashion”, Marta Herford Museum for Art, Architecture, Design, Deutschland
2021 “ART for SDGs: Kitakyushu Art Festival Imagining Our Future”, Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, Japan
2021 “The 45th Kimura Ihei Award Exhibition: Mari Katayama and Daisuke Yokota”, Nikon Salon THE GALLERY, Japan
2021 “HOME/TOWN”, Art Museum and Library, Ota, Japan
2021 Group Exhibition, Okawa Museum of art, Japan
2021 Collection Exhibition, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan
2021 “Anneke Hymmen & Kumi Hiroi, Tokuko Ushioda, Mari Katayama, Maiko Haruki, Mayumi Hosokura and your visions”, Shiseido Gallery, Japan
2020 “Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival”, Xiamen Jimei?Citizen Square Exhibition Hall, Three Shadows Photography Art Center Xiamen,?China
2020 “Transhuman From Prosthetics to Cyborg”, Museum Ulm, Deutschland
2020 “LIFE”, Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto, Japan
2019 “The 35th Higashikawa Award Winners’ Photo Exhibition”, Higashikawa Bunka Gallery, Hokkaido, Japan
2019 “The 58th Venice Biennale 2019：May You Live in Interesting Times”, Giardini and Arsenale, Venice, Italy
2019 “Syunsuke Matsumoto - vol.3 Child’s time-”, Okawa museum, Gunma, Japan
2018 “Unexpected Encounters”,in the city center of Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
2018 “Body Politics: What Defines the Body?”,KANA KAWANISHI PHOTOGRAPHY, Tokyo, Japan
2018 “How Many Miles to Babylon?”,MIYAKO YOSHINAGA, N.Y
2017 “Photographs of innocence and of experience Contemporary Japanese Photography vol. 14”, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2017 “Signal flare for our future”, Art Museum and Library, Ota, Gunma, Japan
2017 Pro(s)thesis & Posthuman Complisities/xhibit und Gemaldegalerie der Akademie der Bildende Kunste Wien,Wien
2016 DAEGU PHOTO BIENNALE2016 Me in the Photography/Daegu Culture & Arts Cen- ter,Tegu,Korea
2016 “Roppongi Crossing - My body, your voice”, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2015 “現代幽霊画”, TAV Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2013 “L'Experience Japonaise”, Theatre National de Marseille La Criee, Marseilles
2013 “Aichi Triennale 2013”, Nayabashi, Aichi, Japan
2013 “KISS THE HEART#2”, Isetan Shinjuku department store window display, Tokyo, Japan
2012 “Human Library”, Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan
2012 “and freedom 2 | MEGANE + Mari Katayama”, Traumaris | Space, Tokyo, Japan
2012 “Shibukaru sai”, PARCO, Tokyo, Japan
2012 “Art Award Tokyo Marunouchi 2012”, Gyoko-dori Underground Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2012 “Tokyo University of the Arts Graduation Work Exhibition”, BankART Studio NYK, Kanagawa, Japan
2011 “CunCun”, Gallery Conceal Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
2010 “identity, body it. ―curated by Takashi Azumaya―”, NCA, Tokyo, Japan
2009 “First EXPO ART 1st JAPAN”, Oizumimachi Bunkamura, Gunma, Japan
2008 Wall paintings, Social Welfare Service Corporation Suido-sya, Gunma, Japan
2008 “Art MAGMA”, Asaya department store, Gunma, Japan
2006 “The 58th Nihon Independent Exhibition” Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2005 “Gunma Biennale for Young Artists '05” The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma, Japan


[Awards]
2020 【The 45th Kimura Ihei Awards】
2019 【New Photographer Awards】at “Higashikawa Awards”
2015 【Koichi Watari Prize, Mitsuhiro Yoshitomo Prize, Rina Miyake Prize】at “3331 Art Fair 2015 -Various Collectors' Prizes-“
2012 【Grand Prize】at “Art Award Tokyo Marunouchi 2012”
2005 【Encouragement Prize】at “The 8th Gunma Biennale for Young Artists '05”


[Public Collections]
Mori Art Museum (Tokyo, Japan), Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (Tokyo, Japan), amana collection (Tokyo, Japan), ARTS Maebashi (Gunma, Japan), Okawa Museum of art (Gunma, Japan), Gateau Festa Harada (Gunma, Japan), fondation antoine de galbert (Paris, France),