Margiela’s First Solo Show in Japan

Martin Margiela’s first solo show at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris. Photo via StudioNowhere

TOKYO — Martin Margiela is having his first big solo art exhibition in Japan. It will take place at Kudan House in Tokyo from 11 April to 29 April. The entire historic house will be transformed into a space filled with his artworks.

This exhibition comes years after he left his fashion label in 2009 and decided to focus mainly on art, something he said gave him “total freedom in creative expression,” as reported by Hypeart.

Inside the house, visitors will see collages, drawings, paintings, sculptures, assemblages and video works placed throughout different rooms. The artworks are not just hung on walls. They interact with the building itself, creating an immersive environment. Margiela has explained that he prefers to raise questions instead of giving answers, and that idea shapes how the exhibition feels.

Margiela has often been called the “invisible man” because of his allergy to fame and dislike for...

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This exhibition comes years after he left his fashion label in 2009 and decided to focus mainly on art, something he said gave him “total freedom in creative expression,” as reported by Hypeart.

Margiela has often been called the “invisible man” because of his allergy to fame and dislike for being photographed. Even in his art career, he keeps attention away from himself and directs it toward the work. Important themes in his art include time, disappearance, visibility and the human body, although he has said the body is no longer his only medium of expression.

His interest in art and experimentation goes back to his first fashion show in Spring 1989. That show took place at Café de la Gare in Paris, not in the usual high status fashion district. It began with the sound of backstage noise playing through speakers before suddenly switching to The Velvet Underground’s “Guess I’m Falling In Love.” This unusual opening signaled that he was challenging fashion traditions, as reported by Fashion Articles.

During that debut show, he presented simple white garments with exposed seams and unfinished hems. The collection moved from white to red to black sections. Some models wore full face masks, emphasizing anonymity. The now famous Tabi boots also appeared. These design choices focused attention on shape, construction and concept rather than celebrity.

Even early on, he experimented with ideas that treated clothing like art objects. After that first runway, fabric from the show was later reused and turned into a vest for the next season. This emphasis on reuse and conceptual thinking became central to his practice. The Tokyo exhibition continues that same spirit, presenting art that values process, mystery and transformation over spectacle.

Japan’s art market has been growing, even while much of the global art world is slowing down. In 2024, total art sales in Japan reached 692 million dollars, which was two percent higher than the year before, despite a worldwide drop of 12 percent during the same period.

Most artworks sold in Japan were priced at 10,000 dollars or less, and galleries and dealers handled about 71 percent of sales, with auction houses managing around 30 percent. These figures were published in the latest Japanese Art Market report prepared by economist Clare McAndrew for the Japanese government, as reported by Artnet.