[01: About GALLABO TOKYO] [02: Ayaka Torimoto] [03: Hirofumi Suzuki] [04: Kickoff Symposiumu／Information]

GALLABO TOKYO

A Hybrid Art Space Blending Gallery and Laboratory

Opening on January 16, 2026

—  Introducing a New Experience of Art Appreciation Enhanced by AI Critique —

GALLABO TOKYO will open with simultaneous exhibitions by Ayaka Torimoto (Exhibition) andHirofumi Suzuki (Showcase), along with a kickoff symposium featuring Takashi Ikegami (Professor, The University of Tokyo) and others. Together, these events explore the dynamic interactions between art and AI.

About GALLABO TOKYO

GALLABO TOKYO is a new art space located in Kawasaki, integrating elements of a gallery and laboratory. It approaches “feeling” and “thinking” in parallel, developing experimental programs that reconsider the relationship between contemporary art and AI-generated critique.

Core Programs

1. Exhibition – Presentation of artworks alongside AI-generated interpretations
2. Showcase – Long-term presentations focusing primarily on three-dimensional and sculptural practices
3. AI Critique – Online technical reports featuring AI-generated critiques (ongoing project)[1]

GALLABO TOKYO advances the concept of the “AI-Centered Ecology of Artistic Feedback,” working toward the realization of a creative environment in which artists, viewers, AI agents, and AI designers continuously interact.

Opening Exhibition

Ayaka Torimoto: “Interpretation of the Eyes, Voices of Hope”

<<Ivy>> (2025)、Oil on linen canvas、53×45.5cm、Courtesy of the artist

Dates: January 16 (Fri) – March 8 (Sun), 2026[1]
会場：GALLABO TOKYO

Ayaka Torimoto paints children based on memories and longing from her early years, using a mixed technique of tempera and oil. The eyes in her portraits blend motifs of animals and plants, generating expressions where cuteness coexists with anxiety, intimacy with strangeness.

This exhibition presents several types of AI-generated critiques—some shown in prior research to be

difficult to distinguish from expert commentary[2]—inviting viewers to reflect on questions such as:

• “To what extent can AI interpret artworks?”
• “How might AI enrich the experience of viewing art?”

Visitors may also enter optional titles for their favorite works, allowing AI to instantly generate short poetic

responses.

Artist Biography: Ayaka Torimoto

2021年Graduated from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music (2021). Completed MFA in Oil Painting and

Printmaking at Kyoto University of the Arts (2023).

Her works explore characters derived from myths, folklore, and fables, including the memento mori series. Awarded the “ART OLYMPIA 2022” Student Prize and the “Tongali Creative Pitch Contest” Mitsubishi Estate Award (2022). Recipient of the “Creative Link Nagoya Portfolio Grant” (2024).

*The image included in this press release is a reference work. The official key visual will be updated once it becomes available.

Opening Showcase

Hirofumi Suzuki: “Black Life Rising Within Reversal”

<<Felt A>> (2024), Felt, Courtesy of the artist.

Dates: January 16 (Fri) – April 12 (Sun), 2026
Venue: GALLABO TOKYO

Discarded felt garments appear to stand upright as if embodying a life of their own.

When the material itself steps out from the body and presents its independent presence, its subtle reversals generate an uncanny sense of vitality.

This showcase includes Suzuki’s felt sculptures along with drawings that explore structural reversals such as presence/absence, whiteness/blackness, and action/phenomenon.

Artist Biography: Hirofumi Suzuki

After training in garment construction, Suzuki presented his first solo exhibition of felt-based fashion sculptures in 2024. He created costumes for the Nagoya PARCO performance project “Before You Know It.” 

His practice has expanded into two-dimensional works that examine the interplay between action and the phenomena that emerge from these processes. He continues to exhibit works across Japan.

Additional Programs

• Future Creatives Collection – Support and collection program for emerging artists
• Showcase: Boardgames – Utilizing a collection of approximately 1,000 board games
• Sketch × Critique – Interactive demo generating AI commentary on visitors’ sketches

Kickoff Symposium

“Art and Artificial Intelligence: Theories and Practices at Their Intersection”

Date / Time: February 1 (Sun), 2026 at 15:00
Venue: GALLABO TOKYO

Speakers

・Takashi Ikegami (Professor, The University of Tokyo / Artificial Life, Complex Systems)
・Jun Kawaguchi (Emeritus Professor, Nagoya University / Cognitive Psychology)
・Mitsuaki Hara (Director, YEBISU ART LABO)
・Takaya Arita (Founding Director / Creative Lead, GALLABO TOKYO)

※Free admission; registration required (https://www.gallabotokyo.com/kickoff).

Information

GALLABO TOKYO

Address: 2-121-21 Furuichiba, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Hours: Thu–Sun, 13:00–18:00
HP: https://www.gallabotokyo.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/GALLABOTOKYO/

Founding Director / Creative Lead

Takaya Arita

Graduated from the University of Tokyo (Engineering). PhD in Engineering (The University of Tokyo). Having held positions as Research Associate, Associate Professor, and Full Professor at Nagoya University, Arita was appointed as Designated Professor in 2025. His research focuses on artificial life and artificial intelligence, recently focusing on AI- generated art critique.

©️2025 GALLABO TOKYO