Yoichi OCHIAI (b.1987)

Media artist, born 1987, began working as an artist around 2010. His work is based on the motifs of materialisation, transformation and the longing for mass in the boundary realms. Associate Professor at the University of Tsukuba, Visiting Professor at Kyoto City University of Arts, Visiting Professor at Osaka University of Arts, Specially Appointed Professor at Digital Hollywood University, Visiting Professor at Kanazawa College of Art, etc. He has served as a Cultural Envoy of the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2020 and 2021 and as a producer of the theme project for the 2025 Japan EXPO in Osaka and Kansai. His works include the photography collection Longing for Mass (amana, 2019) and the NFT work Re-Digitalization of Waves (foundation, 2021). 2016 PrixArsElectronica Honor Award, STARTSPrize from the EU, 2019 SXSW Winner of the creative Experience ARROW Awards, Apollo Magazine 40 UNDER 40 ART andTECH, Asia Digital Art Award for Excellence, and many works recommended by the Jury Committee of the Japan Media Arts Festival Art Division.

SHIRIAGARI Kotobuki (b.1958)

Shiriagari was born in 1958 in Shizuoka City, Japan. After graduating from Tama Art University with a major in Graphic Design in 1981, Shiriagari joined Kirin Brewery Company, Ltd. and worked on packaging design and advertisements. In 1985, he debuted as a cartoonist with the book Ereki na Haru, receiving attention as a new type of gag cartoonist whose humor centers on parody. Working independently since 1994, Kotobuki Shiriagari continues to release fantasy and literary series works and other works in a wide range of genres, including satirical four-panel comic strips for newspapers and long-form narrative manga, as well as underground manga. While continuing to release original work, in recent years he has expanded beyond manga into a variety of media, including video and art.