Mari Katayama Receives the Grand Prix of the Mori Art Award 2026
Mari Katayama has received the Grand Prix of the Mori Art Award 2026.
https://mori-caf.jp/en-art-award/
The Mori Art Award was established to support mid-career contemporary artists in Japan and to further their international presence. Katayama is deeply honored by this recognition and would like to express her sincere gratitude to the jury members, the organizers, and everyone who has supported her work.
She will continue developing and presenting new works both in Japan and internationally.
《FROM MARI K》
I am deeply honoured to have received the Grand Prix at the Mori Art Award.
I would also like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to my fellow finalists — Koizumi Meiro, 目[mé], and Yamashiro Chikako. It was a privilege to stand alongside such remarkable artists.
The Mori Art Award decorates mid-career contemporary artists in Japan to further their international status.
2026 International Jury
Kataoka Mami Director, Mori Art Museum; Chair, International Jury
Rhana Devenport Former Director, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Glenn D. Lowry Director Emeritus, The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Frances Morris Former Director, Tate Modern, London
Suhanya Raffel Museum Director, M+, Hong Kong
Eugene Tan Director, The National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum
— — —
With profound gratitude, I share the speech I delivered at the award ceremony.
I would also like to thank Eriko Kimura, who believed in me and nominated me for this award, my family, friends, everyone at MK Studio, and Naka, who runs beside me through every step. Your words always light the way forward for me.
And to Takashi Azumaya and Kazue Kobata — your presence is still alive within me.
Thank you to the members of the jury for listening so carefully to my presentation.
I am grateful that I never stopped moving forward. I want to tell everyone who is still moving forward, even quietly and invisibly, that effort does bear fruit.
To me, this Grand Prix is not only an award — it is the opportunity to carry that message further.
For the past six years, I have been asking myself a question:
How do we survive in a multilayered society while holding diverse roles in different communities?
The hand-sewn objects I create sometimes resonate with sounds — echoes of human presence. They remind us that no presence ever truly disappears.
Even when our days feel repetitive, both our bodies and the world are constantly changing.
We can never truly be alone. So please, do not carry everything by yourself.
The truth is — we are many.
The world itself is a stage of reflection. This world is our vast, living self-portrait.
With love and peace.
Mari K
片山真理は、森アートアワード2026（Mori Art Award 2026）にてグランプリを受賞しました。
森アートアワードは、日本の中堅現代アーティストの国際的な活動を支援することを目的として設立されたアワードです。この度の受賞を大変光栄に思うとともに、審査員の皆様、関係者の皆様、そして日頃より作品を支えてくださるすべての方々に心より感謝申し上げます。今後も国内外での活動を通して、新たな作品の制作と発表を続けていきます。
ARTnews JAPAN
片山真理が初開催の森アートアワード2026グランプリを受賞──「この世界は、私たち自身の巨大なセルフポートレート」
https://artnewsjapan.com/article/64161
Tokyo Art Beat
「森アートアワード2026」初代グランプリは片山真理
https://www.tokyoartbeat.com/articles/-/mori-art-award-news-202602