Creating a new space that blends the concepts of a gallery and a laboratory—a place for feeling and thinking

The fundamental motivation behind the founding of GALLABO TOKYO is to create experiences where AI (Large Language Models: LLM) transforms and enriches the very way artworks are perceived. GALLABO TOKYO serves as a testing ground for this purpose. We also hope to provide creative inspiration to the artists.

Our main initiatives toward this goal are on-site Exhibitions and Showcases, as well as the online AI Critique. While Exhibitions and Showcases are equivalent to standard gallery exhibitions, the former offers a new way of appreciating art by overlaying AI interpretations and critiques [1][2] onto the displayed works. The latter is a long-term exhibition that unfolds over time, featuring a diverse range of expressions, including 3D works. Meanwhile, AI Critique is a collection of technical reports that continuously publishes AI-generated critiques.

Through these initiatives, we aim to realize an AI-Centered Ecology of Artistic Feedback. This is an ecological creative environment in which, based on criticism generated by large language models (LLMs), artists, viewers, AI critics, and AI designers repeatedly interact through works, critiques, and comments, thereby constantly renewing the artistic meaning and value of the works.

In parallel with these practices, we will also focus on the following pillars:

• Future Collectives Collection: We will select emerging artists and acquire and exhibit their works
• Showcase: Boardgames: We will utilize German board games that bring the joy of thinking
• Sketch×Critique: LLMs will generate various comments on sketches drawn by visitors

The background supporting these activities is as follows:

• ALIFE (Artificial Life): This is my research theme [3][4][5], and its fundamental stance—that is, the approach of reexamining the premises and foundations of various concepts and seeking to understand them through creation—is reflected, both explicitly and implicitly, in the planning and operation of this space.
• DERC (Dual layer gamification Encouraging Reciprocity-based Cooperation): This is a mechanism for bottom-up social structural transformation achieved by promoting indirect reciprocity—a mechanism of mutual support [6]—and this space also plays a part in its realization

References

[1] T. Arita, W. Zheng, R. Suzuki, and F. Akiba, "Assessing LLMs in Art Contexts: Critique Generation and Theory of Mind Evaluation", arXiv, 2025 (doi: 10.48550/arxiv.2504.12805).

[2] W. Zheng, R. Suzuki, and T. Arita, "Artificial Intelligence as Art Critic: Design and Comparative Turing Test of Human vs. AI Critiques", Proc. of Artificail Life and Robotics (AROB), pp. 75-80, Jan. 2025.

[3] Takata Aria, "Artificial Life (Revised 2nd Edition)", IGAKU SYUPPAN, 2002 (in Japanese).

[4] Takaya Arita, "Can the Mind Be Programmed?", SoftBank Creative, 2007 (in Japanese).

[5] Takaya Arita, "From Organisms to Life", Chikuma Shobo, 2012 (in Japanese).

[6] T. Arita and N. Ogawa, "Promoting Reciprocity-based Cooperation by Dual Layer Gamification", Proceedings of the 17th Annual European Conference on Simulation and AI in Computer Games (GAMEON 2016), pp. 22-27, 2016.