Friday 15 May, 2026 - Saturday 16 May, 2026

In person conference (fully booked) and livestreamed via Zoom.

Friday 15 May – Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS, WC1H 0XG
Saturday 16 May – Chelsea College of Arts, UAL, 16 John Islip St, London SW1P 4JU

REGISTER TO ATTEND ONLINE HERE

JOIN THE WAITLIST TO ATTEND IN PERSON HERE

This two-day conference will address the future of the study of art, craft and design in a transnational perspective. This event is held in honour the memory of Toshio Watanabe (1945-2025), late Emeritus Professor of Japanese Arts and Heritage at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, Founding Director of the Research Centre for Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN) at University of the Arts London (UAL), and former President of the Japan Art History Forum.

The conference will be held across two venues – Friday 15 May at the Khalili Lecture Theatre, SOAS and Saturday 16 May at Chelsea College of Arts, UAL.

The event will also be livestreamed via Zoom. Presentations will be given in English.

Programme

A full programme will be announced in due course, and include sessions on:

• Transnational Japanese Art (Friday 15 May)
• Japanese Art Beyond the Mainland (Friday 15 May)
• Japonisme and Worlding the Nation(s) (Saturday 16 May)
• Conversation with Research Centre for Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN) about Transnational and Diaspora Studies (Saturday 16 May)

This will be accompanied by sessions from our open call, as well as poster presentations during the breaks on each day and a selection of pre-recorded online presentations. The programme will also include a keynote presentation by Professor Noriko Murai (Sophia University) with Professor Bert Winther-Tamaki (University of California, Irvine) as discussant.

Due to limited capacity at the venue, we are unable to offer in-person attendance at this time but will host a waitlist for this in case spaces become available. Contributors to the conference are not required to register separately.

Online attendance is free of charge and via Zoom. You will only need to register once and can attend any of the days.

This conference is a collaboration between the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, University of the Arts London (UAL), the University of Stockholm, and the University of Zurich.

The event is generously supported by the Japan Art History Forum, the Swedish Research Council, and the SOAS Japan Research Centre.