Shining Alongside Monet and Picasso Collections! Taiwanese Artists WANG MUTI and LIAO CHUN-YI Take Top Display Positions at the 49th Saitama Genten at MOMAS, Japan

[Saitama, Japan – March 2, 2026]

Hosted by the Japan Modern Art Association (Genten)—founded in 1948 with a total of 19 branches nationwide and globally—the prestigious annual art event, the 49th "Saitama Genten," will grandly open on March 3 at The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama (MOMAS), Japan. In this hall renowned for housing masterpieces by world-class modern art masters, Taiwanese artists WANG MUTI and Professor LIAO CHUN-YI have not only been invited to exhibit, but their works have also secured the first and second prominent positions in the exhibition hall. Standing alongside the works of Genten's Japanese screening committee members, this sets a new milestone for Taiwanese contemporary art on the international stage.

Entering a World-Class Art Ark: A Cross-Temporal Dialogue with Western Masters

The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama (MOMAS) is not only a masterpiece of "Metabolism" architecture designed by the Japanese national-level architectural master Kisho Kurokawa , but it is also an art ark of high international significance. The museum's permanent collection features world-class rarities, including Claude Monet’s Haystacks at Giverny, Evening Sun, Pablo Picasso’s Still Life, and Marc Chagall’s Double Portrait. Simultaneously, the museum is globally recognized as a rare "Chair Museum," collecting classic designs by masters such as Salvador Dalí and Shiro Kuramata.

To be exhibited in a top-tier public museum that preserves the foundations of Western modernism and carries the history of Japanese avant-garde art (such as Ei-Q and Yayoi Kusama), and to be arranged in the most central display sequence, fully demonstrates the high academic recognition given by the Japanese art community to the works of WANG MUTI and LIAO CHUN-YI. This is not merely a transnational exhibition, but a cross-temporal dialogue between Taiwanese contemporary aesthetics and the giants of world art history.

Massive Diptychs and Life Narratives: A Stunning Display of Taiwanese Artistic Prowess

Within the iconic geometric grids and light-and-shadow spaces of MOMAS, the works of the two Taiwanese artists demonstrate immense visual tension and profound Eastern philosophical undertones:

• 1st Position in the Exhibition Hall | WANG MUTI — Tranquil Illumination: The Counterpoint of Vijnana Transformation and Bhutatathata: Serving as the head of the Genten Taiwan Liaison Office, WANG MUTI has frequently broken records within mainstream Japanese art organizations in recent years. This time, he is exhibiting a massive 97 × 180 cm diptych. Through his signature heavy ink and rich colors, the work explores the shifts in the human psyche and the tranquility of truth in the digital age. Hung within the same architectural context as the masterpieces in the museum's collection, his work displays a commanding presence and the critical spirit of contemporary "Digital Reaction."
• 2nd Position in the Exhibition Hall | Professor LIAO CHUN-YI — Unfinished: Utilizing a 138 × 138 cm square composition, this piece interprets the endless state of exploration in life and creation. Its delicate color layering and profound spatial depth create an excellent chemical reaction with the works of senior Japanese artists in the hall, showcasing the deep attainments of Taiwanese academia in the context of contemporary painting.

High Attention from Japanese Media: Taiwan-Japan Art Exchange Reaches New Heights

Even before its opening, the 49th "Saitama Genten" had already attracted widespread attention in the Japanese arts and culture community. Both the Tokyo Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun will be conducting special feature reports. During the opening period, top executives from the Japan Modern Art Association, including President Yasushi Watanabe, Screener Yoko Sato, and Saitama Branch Head Kazuko Fukagawa, will personally meet with the Taiwanese representatives. From The National Art Center, Tokyo, to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, and now to MOMAS, Taiwanese artists are relying on their strong creative capabilities to steadily engrave the voice of Taiwanese culture into Japan's highest-tier art halls.

Exhibition Information:

• Exhibition Name: [Taiwan-Japan Exchange Exhibition] Japan's 49th Saitama Genten
• Dates: March 3 (Tuesday) to March 8 (Sunday), 2026
• Location: MOMAS (The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama) - Gallery 3 & 4

[Paintings]

• Sachiko Arakawa – Garden (F200)
• Akira Kubo – Crimson (F40 / F20 / F15 / F12 / F10)
• Ken Saima – Forest in the Sea (A2) / Once Upon a Time. (A2)
• Yoko Sato – In the Atmosphere '25-B+C (F200) / In the Atmosphere 25-A (F100) / In the Atmosphere (F30) / In the Atmosphere (S15)
• Setsuko Takahashi – Connected (F80 × 2)
• Yaeko Nohara – Spring Light (F120) / Light of Santa Niubi Church (F8) / Downhill (F6) / Passing Days (F6)
• Kazuko Fukagawa – Snow (F100 × 2)
• Makoto Nukada – Boy's Dream 1 / 2 / 3 (A3 Oversized)
• WANG MUTI – Tranquil Illumination: The Counterpoint of Vijnana Transformation and Bhutatathata (97 × 180cm x2)
• LIAO CHUN-YI – Unfinished (138 × 138cm)

[Sculpture]

• Hitoshi Morimoto – Pure Form I / II / III / IV (20 × 20 × 20 each)

[Photography]

• Kensuke Takahashi – Swiss Mountain Landscape (Full Sheet)
• Yoshihiro Kobori – Acting Spoiled / Held by Mother / Full of Interest (A3 Oversized)
• Tatsuo Aikawa – Attracted / Transformation / Spirit of the Forest (Full Sheet)
• Akira Ito – Welcome / Doubt / Send Off (Half Fold)
• Tateo Osuga – Awakening / Color / Shout (Half Fold)
• Hisao Ogawa – After a Day Ends / Wet from the Drizzle / Dance of Flowers (Full Sheet)
• Kazuaki Mogi – Early Spring Arrives / My World / Vertical Climb (A3 Oversized)
• Shogo Takemoto – Pure Realm / Original / Symbiosis (51.3 × 62.3)
• Koichi Fujino – Sound of Water / Color of Wind / Shadow of Flowers (Full Sheet)
• Tomohiro Omori – A Certain Portrait (53 × 64) / Temptation of Pulsation (50 × 67.4) / Absurd Attire (50 × 67.4)
• Minoru Kosake – Visual Prologue / Loose / Thread Scraps (58.5 × 50)
• Masahiro Yamazaki – Morning Sun / Traveler of Another World / Send Off (62 × 53)
• Yoshiko Yoshida – Yesterday's Labyrinth / Subtle and Profound Colors (A3 Oversized)
• Shigenori Tada – Tree Spirit - Dawn (50 × 60) / Tree Spirit x2 (50 × 60)
• Yoshikazu Kikuchi – Enchanting Green Light / Silence Before Blooming (54 × 65)
• Etsuko Saito – Smile / Nature (A3 Oversized)
• Tomoko Ono – Scooping the Evening Light / Catching the Sunset (A3 Oversized)
• Akira Takano – Memory of the Water Surface / Lost Items in a Sunny Corner (65 × 54.5)
• Uo Anzaki – Toward the Sky / In the Light (A3 Oversized)
• Sadao Ichinokawa – From Over There / Line of Sight / In Front of the Meeting Gate (65 × 55)
• Makoto Uemura – Silent Cherry Blossom Viewing / Tokyo Day (52 × 73)

[Photo Captions translated]

• [Taiwan-Japan Exchange Exhibition] Japan's MOMAS - 49th Saitama Genten: Works by Taiwanese participants WANG MUTI and Professor LIAO CHUN-YI are placed in the same space as the Genten screening committee members, occupying the first and second display positions.
• Special feature report by Japan's Tokyo Shimbun on the light and shadow poems within the architectural grids of Japan's MOMAS - 49th Saitama Genten.
• Special feature report by Japan's Mainichi Shimbun on the light and shadow poems within the architectural grids of Japan's MOMAS - 49th Saitama Genten.
• Group photo featuring Japan Modern Art Association President Yasushi Watanabe, Screener Yoko Sato, Saitama Genten Branch Head Kazuko Fukagawa, Chiba Genten Branch Head Ikuko Ogane, and Genten Taiwan Liaison Office Head WANG MUTI.