ART PROJECT fot the Forest of Tranqulity Special WEB site │ EXPO2025Osaka,Kansai,Japan

OUTLINE

The Forest of Tranquility is located at the centre of the Expo site and was designed to be a quiet and relaxing place amid the hustle and bustle of the site. The forest was created by transplanting trees scheduled for thinning from Expo ‘70 Commemoration Park and other parks in Osaka Prefecture. When the site opens, over 1,500 trees will have sprouted, welcoming visitors amidst the fresh greenery.

Area: About 2.3 ha

Number of trees: About 1,500

Waterscape facilities: 1 pond, 3 water basins

Species of trees: Japanese blue oak, Japanese maple, and Japanese snowbell, sawtooth oak, jolcham oak, camellia, and others

Parks the trees came from: Expo 70’ Commemorative Park, Hattori Ryokuchi Park, Kyuhoji Ryokuchi Park, Oizumi, Ryokuchi Park, Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park, Osaka Castle Park and others

Forest of Tranquility Art Project

Set in a tranquil forest, artists create art experiences and events based on the seven themes of the Expo’s Theme Weeks: "Peace, Human Security and Dignity," "Co-creating Cultures for the Future," "The Future of Community and Mobility," "Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing and Shelter," "Health and Well-Being," "Learning and Playing," and "The Future of Earth and Biodiversity." The project will be overseen by Theme Producer MIYATA Hiroaki, Expo Site Design Producer FUJIMOTO Sou, Landscape Design Director KUTSUNA Hiroki, and Art Director HASEGAWA Yuko. In this quiet forest where new life is sprouting away from the hustle and bustle, visitors will be able to reflect on the "life" of the Earth and themselves through various experiences themed around "life."

ART / ARTIST

■Example work Health and Well-Being Leandro ERLICH (Infinite Garden - The Joy of diversity)

: A variety of plants grow in the cylindrical space, and when viewed from above, it looks like a whole cake cut into a cross. As you walk along the passageway that forms the cut, the mirrors on both sides reflect yourself, the sky, and the forest, creating the illusion of an infinite expanse. If you go around to the outside and stand at a 45-degree angle, the mirrors in front of you also become a mirror, giving you the feeling that you are blended into the diverse plants. ERLICH's unique "visual tricks using mirrors and structures" create a sense of unity with diversity and nature, inviting people to have a new cognitive experience. By experiencing the "sense of continuing infinitely into the sky" and the "sense of surrendering yourself to diversity," people become aware of "new ways of seeing" and are given the opportunity to think more deeply about physical, mental, and social well-being.

Leandro Erlich: Born in Argentina in 1973, he is based in Paris and Buenos Aires. Over the past 20 years, his work has been exhibited internationally and is included in many collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Centre Pompidou (Paris), and the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa. Through the experience of his work, he questions the perceptual basis of reality and the worldview that we unconsciously take for granted through visual frameworks. He seeks to close the distance between the space of the museum or gallery and everyday experience, as well as to create a dialogue between what we believe and what we see.

Peace, Human Security and Dignity ONO Yoko (Cloud Piece)

: This work has a poetic concept of reflecting the sky by installing a mirror at the bottom of a hole in the ground, as if collecting drops of water from the sky. The work is installed at two locations at the four-way intersection leading to the spring in the Silent Forest within the venue. By gazing at the "sky," a "shared landscape" open to all people, the work creates an experience that makes you think about peace by raising your awareness of connections that transcend society and borders.

Yoko Ono: Born in Tokyo in 1933, ONO is an influential artist, musician, and activist. By 1960, she had become a key figure in the New York art scene, producing pioneering works such as "Cut Peace" and "Grapefruit." In 1968, she began collaborating with her husband, John Lennon, in art, music, and activism. ONO has released numerous albums, including the Grammy Award-winning "Double Fantasy," and her work has been exhibited in venues such as MoMA and Tate Modern. With a career spanning more than seven decades, her work as an artist and activist remains uniquely relevant and continues to challenge the boundaries between artist and audience.

Learning and Playing Pierre HUYGHE (Idiom) (La Déraison)

: 「La Déraison」 may appear to be an ordinary sculpture at first, however what sets it apart is its warmth, akin to human skin. Although it is not a "living being," the subtle differences it exhibits provokes the viewer to ask, "What is this?" and "To what extent could this be considered alive?"
Idiom, a performance using mask sculptures will also take place in the same exhibition space. One would expect the mask wearing performers to be human,yet there are moments when the performers do not seem alive at all, appearing more like objects.
Moreover, the sounds emitted by the masks in response to the surrounding environment are beyond human comprehension.While it may seem that the performers wearing the Idiom masks are communicating with each other, it is difficult for any human to discern the truth.
Through the experience within this space, the commonly accepted distinction between "alive" and "not alive" becomes increasingly ambiguous, providing an opportunity to deeply reconsider how we normally perceive "life." This sense of unease and wavering conviction is considered to be at the heart of Yuigu's work.

Pierre Huyghe‘s “Idiom” performance will take place at as follows.
Every day during the exhibition.
*May be canceled in case of rain
[Performance Time] ①18:30- ②19:10- ③20:10-15 minutes for each performance.
[Venue] Around Pierre Huyghe's "La Déraison" in the Forest of Tranquility.
[Admission] Free
[Capacity] No capacity
*No reservation required, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Pierre Huyghe: Born in Paris, France in 1962, he is currently based in Santiago. His work is internationally known and has been featured in various exhibitions around the world. His recent major solo exhibitions include "Liminal" Punta della Dogana, Venice (2024) / Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul (2025), "UUmwelt" Serpentine Gallery, London (2018), and "Sototamashii" Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine (2017). He has also worked on a number of large-scale projects, including the 2017 Münster Sculpture Project "After a Life Ahead", the 2015 Metropolitan Museum of Art Roof Garden Project, and "Untiled" dOCUMENTA (13) in 2012. In 2019, he was appointed artistic director of "Okayama Art Summit 2019 Moshihebi ga". His works are held in the collections of the Centre Pompidou and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, among others.

The Future of Earth and Biodiversity Stefano MANCUSO and PNAT (The Hidden Plant Community)

: This is a sound and light artwork that converts the sound of sap flowing through the trunk into scientific sound wave data. It mimics the function of the stomata that regulate oxygen and carbon dioxide in trees, and the kinetic opening and closing emphasizes the effects of light and shadow. It is a unique experience to see the world from a plant's perspective and allows you to intuitively feel what it means to "live as a plant." By experiencing this art and listening closely to the mechanisms of plants, you will be able to question your anthropocentric view of the world and grasp the world from a broader perspective on life and time.

Stefano MANCUSO and PNAT: STEFANO MANCUSO, Professor at the University of Florence is the founder of plant neurobiology and one of the world's leading authorities in this field which explores signaling and communication at all levels of biological organization. He published more than 300 scientific papers in international journals.
Some of his recent exhibitions include: The Florence Experiment (with Carsten Holler) at Palazzo Strozzi (2018, Italy); The Nation of Plants during the XXII Triennale di Milano (2019; Italy); The Botany of Leonardo (with Fritjiof Capra) (2019, Italy). Symbiosia at Fondation Cartier (2019; France), Econtinuum (with Thijs Biersteker) at NXT Museum (2021, The Netherlands); Mutual aid at Architecture Biennale Venezia (2021; Italy), Talking God at the Thailand Biennale 2022.
PNAT is an interdisciplinary team led by STEFANO MANCUSO that fuses art, science and technology to create innovative installations.
PNAT's work explores the intersection between nature and advanced technology.
It also develops innovative projects that stimulate reflection on environmental issues and the future of the planet.
At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan STEFANO MANCUSO and PNAT present their vision of an harmonious relationship between nature, science and human creativity, immersing visitors in a thought-provoking, immersive experience.

The Future of Community and Mobility Tomás SARACENO (Conviviality)

: Conviviality is an artwork that proposes alternative models for interspecies encounters.
Twelve sculptures,suspended in space by delicate wires,serve as habitats for an ecosystem that resonates with the forest,functioning as an organicplatform where various lives including birds,spiders,and insect interact.
Deveroped in consutation with a range of experts,Convivitality reveals a floating cloudscape of biodiversity above the Forest of Tranqulity.

Tomás SARACENO: Tomás SARACENO is an Argentine-born, Berlin-based artist. His projects engage in dialogue with life forms and life formations, encouraging a rethinking of dominant knowledge in the Capitalocene. For more than 20 years, he has led open-source, collective and interdisciplinary projects for environmental social justice, such as Museo Aero Solar (2007-) and Aerocene Foundation (2015-). Arachnophilia (2018-) is a work that develops a decade of research to transcend arachnophobia and the Capitalocene. Saraceno collaborates with communities, researchers and institutions in pursuit of a more equal balance between human, techno and biodiversity. He has held residencies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNES) and the Goethe-Institut, and has conducted interventions at COP20, COP21 and COP26. His work has been exhibited in major institutions around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Palais de Tokyo and the Serpentine Gallery.

PROGRAM

: In conjunction with the theme weeks held during the Expo, we will also be holding dialogue events between Miyata Hiroaki and other theme project producers and people involved with the Expo, as well as food session events with world-class chefs.

We are planning to hold dialogue events in conjunction with the theme week with Miyata Hiroaki and other theme project producers and other people involved in the Expo.

Totality of LifeShoji Kawamori
Embracing LivesNaomi Kawase
Cycle of LivesKundo Koyama
Amplification of LivesHiroshi Ishiguro
Invigorating LivesSachiko Nakajima
Forging LivesYoichi Ochiai

and more

Location「Forest of Tranquility Rest Area Space」※Free admission※Please note that speakers, the event schedule, and content may change without prior notice.

Join us for a talk session featuring NAKAJIMA Sachiko, a Theme Producer for Expo 2025, and TOHYAMA Norio, a tea room architect. They will discuss what led them to take part in the Expo, introduce the facilities they produced—Jellyfish Pavilion and Yurakuken—and share the ideas behind them. They will also talk about the messages they hope to convey to the world and the future through Expo 2025.

Sachiko Nakajima

Musician, a mathematics researcher, and a STEAM Educator.

Norio Toyama

Tearoom Architect / Architectural Historian

Governor KUROIWA Yuji of Kanagawa Prefecture joins MIYATA Hiroaki. Theme Producer for Expo 2025, for a talk session. MIYATA will share his vision for the Expo, while Governor KUROIWA introduces initiatives from Kanagawa Prefecture, where he has promoted the theme “Kanagawa. Where Lite Shines” since taking office.

Yuji Kuroiwa

Governor, Kanagawa Prefecture.

A talk session will be held featuring Producer KOYAMA Kundo, guest of the Signature Pavilion EARTH MART. The session will cover KOYAMA's career, how he came to be appointed as a producer for the Osaka-Kansai Expo, and various stories along the way. He will also talk about the pavilion he is producing, EARTH MART, the concept of Expo Pickles, and the Expo's core themes—Cycle of Lives and Resonance of Lives.

Kundo Koyama

Expo 2025 Theme Producer

We will hold food session events with world-class chefs on five themes. Talk events and projects based on each theme will be experiences that connect people through food.

NEWS

06 Jun 2025: Event information has been updated

28 May 2025: Event information has been updated

18 April 2025: Special website for the Forest of Tranquility Art Project is now open

PRODUCER

: Planning, Supervision, and Co-Curation
MIYATA Hiroaki

: Planning and Supervision
FUJIMOTO Sou

: Landscape Designer
KUTSUNA Hiroki

: Art Director
HASEGAWA Yuko

Planning, Supervision, and Co-Curation

MIYATA Hiroaki

In 2003, he completed his Master's degree in Health Science and Nursing at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine. He received his PhD in Health Science (thesis) in the same field.
In April 2009, he became an associate professor at the Department of Health Quality Assessment at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, and in April 2014, he became a professor (part-time from May 2015). Since May 2015, he has been a professor at the Department of Health Policy and Management at Keio University School of Medicine.

He uses data science and other sciences to challenge social change and conducts research activities with a focus on contributing to improving reality. He is involved in various practices outside of the medical field, such as the National Clinical Database, which is in collaboration with the specialist system and involves 5,000 hospitals, and the COVID-19 nationwide survey by LINE and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. At the same time, he works with various stakeholders, including not only academia but also government, economic organizations, NPOs, and companies, to create a new vision for society. One of MIYATA's visions for co-creating a society is a "resonating society" in which life resonates together to create a diverse society, where each individual shines as they experience that world together.

Signature Pavilion | Resonating with Life: Visit the "Better Co-Being"

Planning and Supervision

FUJIMOTO Sou

FUJIMOTO Sou was born in Hokkaido in 1971. After graduating from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, he established Sou Fujimoto Architects in 2000. Following the 2014 Montpellier International Design Competition Grand Prize (L'Arbre Blanc), he has also won top prizes in international design competitions in Europe in 2015, 2017, and 2018. In Japan, he has been appointed as the venue design producer for Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan. In 2024, he has been selected as the basic designer for the "(tentative name) International Center Station North Area Complex Facility Basic Design Contract."
His major works include House of Music in Budapest (2021), Maruhon Maki Art Terrace, Ishinomaki City Cultural Complex (2021), Shiraiya Hotel (2020), L’Arbre Blanc (2019), Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013 in London (2013), House NA (2011), and Musashino Art University. These include Art Museum and Library (2010) and House N (2008).

Landscape Designer

KUTSUNA Hiroki

KUTSUNA is a landscape designer and the CEO of E-DESIGN Co., Ltd. By utilizing the techniques of landscape and environmental design of parks, plazas, roads, and rivers, mastering the use of the space, and simultaneously planning and implementing the sustainable management and system creation, he aims to realize a new public and create attractive public spaces, and has worked on numerous projects. He is also active in the field of landscape design for universities, hospitals, schools, commercial facilities, and housing both domestically and internationally. He has edited and co-authored "Illustrated Public Space Creation Method" (2021). He is currently serving as the landscape design director for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. His notable works include "Kindai University Senshin Garden" (2009 Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture Encouragement Award), "Urban Development of the Water City of Osaka" (2016 joint winner of the Ishikawa Prize from the City Planning Institute of Japan), "Kusatsu River Site Park (Section 5)" (2017 Urban Park Competition Special Theme Category Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award), "Tokotoko Dandan" (2018 GOOD DESIGN Award, Gold Award: Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award / 2019 Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture Award), "Osaka Prefectural Enokojima Cultural Arts Creation Center" (2019 Regional Creation Award, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Award), "Daito City Public-Private Partnership Hojo Urban Development Project Morineki" (2024 joint winner of the Architectural Institute of Japan Award), and "Sea Path Park" (2024 Urban Park Competition, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Director-General's Award, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Urban Affairs Bureau Award / Land Utilization Model Grand Prize, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award).

Art Director

HASEGAWA Yuko

Curator. Visiting Professor at Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University, in "Curatorial Theory and Practice"; Program Director of Art & Design at the International House of Japan; Visiting Professor at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature; and Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University of the Arts. Former Director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
She has been honored with the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Award (2020), the Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France, 2015), the Order of Cultural Merit (Brazil, 2017), and the Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France, 2024).
Hasegawa has curated numerous biennales in Istanbul (2001), Shanghai (2002), São Paulo (2010), Sharjah (2013), Moscow (2017), and Thailand (2021), and international exhibitions including Japanorama: A New Vision on Art Since 1970 at the Centre Pompidou-Metz (2017), and Fukami: A Plunge into Japanese Aesthetics in Paris (2018). Her publications include Art and New Ecology: Anthropocene as Dithering Time (Ibun-sha, 2022); Japanorama: Un Archipel en Perpétuel Changement (Centre Pompidou-Metz Éditions, 2017); and Performativity in the Work of Female Japanese Artists in the 1950s–1960s and the 1990s (Modern Women: Women Artists at The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA, 2010).

Musician, a mathematics researcher, and a STEAM Educator.

Sachiko Nakajima

She is also CEO of steAm, Inc., the representative director of steAm BAND Association and a thematic project producer of Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan. She also serves as a STEM Girls Ambassador, Cabinet Office. She won the gold medal as the first Japanese woman in the International Mathematical Olympiad. She passionately conducts research on art and technology as well as music, mathematics, and education. Winner of 2025 Power Of Radiance Awards by Cle de Peau Beaute (Shiseido).

Tearoom Architect / Architectural Historian

Norio Toyama

Norio Tōyama, formerly working in the URASENKE FOUNDATION Architectural Division, is an expert in Tearoom design, construction, and restoration. By studying architectural history and Japanese culture through tearooms, Tōyama investigates Japanese sense of beauty, spirit, religion, and cultural lifestyle. At Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan, Tōyama designed and oversees the "Yuraku-ken" tearoom in the Jellyfish Pavilion: Playground of Life.

Governor, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Yuji Kuroiwa

1980 Joined Fuji Television Network, Inc. As an anchorperson of a news show, he worked on the coverage of emergency medical campaign and contributed to the birth of Emergency Life-saving Technician system.
2009 Assumed the post of professor at International University of Health and Welfare Graduate School.
Apr. 2011 Inaugurated as Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture under the slogan of “Kanagawa – a magnet for vibrant inochi (lives)”. Currently serving his fourth term.
Sep. 2022 Selected as the only Japanese person for the Healthy Ageing 50, or the leaders who make the world a better place for ageing, by international organizations, etc.
2024 Received the highest decoration awarded to a foreigner, the Order of Friendship, from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as the first head of a local government in Japan.

Expo 2025 Theme Producer

Kundo Koyama

A broadcast writer, Screenwriter and the vice-president of the Kyoto University of The Arts.
Born in Kumamoto, 1964. His career as a broadcast writer began during his undergraduate studies. He is responsible for envisioning and creating many TV programs, including the International Emmy Awards winners Iron Chef and Torisetsu. His screenplay for Departures brought positive responses domestically and internationally, awarding him the 32nd Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Original Screenplay and the 81st Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
He is involved in broader creative projects such as radio personality, serialized essays and song lyrics. He also offers relevant advice to the national government, numerous regional management and companies: he is the General producer of the JAPAN DAY PROJECT, run by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; part of the Japan Heritage Inspection Committee within the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Theme Producer of EXPO 2025 Osaka Kansai.
He is also a significant Supporter of the culinary world: He is the owner of the traditional Japanese Restaurant Shimogamosaryo, part of the judging committee in the Ryori Masters Project run by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the general producer of RED U-35, one of the largest culinary competitions in Japan.