TOKYO.- The Art Fair Tokyo Executive Committee announces that Misa Shin, Executive Director of Art Fair Tokyo since 2005, will be stepping down at the end of May 2010.

Shin has directed a total of four editions of Art Fair Tokyo, since her appointment as Executive Director in November 2005.

During this time, her aims have been to encourage the development of an art market in Japan and to create a truly international art fair in Tokyo.

Under each year of Shin’s direction, Art Fair Tokyo has attracted a wide variety of international and domestic art collectors and art enthusiasts.

The fifth edition, held in 2010, attracted a record 50,000 visitors. This proved that the spring-time Art Fair Tokyo has firmly established itself on the international art scene.

Shin succeeded in developing the Japanese art world by nurturing a new generation of potential collectors through her message that art should be thought of as something to buy, and not just as something to look at.

In the future, Shin will serve as an Advisor to Art Fair Tokyo.

The Art Fair Tokyo Committee Executive is pleased to announce that Takahiro Kaneshima will be appointed as the new Executive Director of Art Fair Tokyo as of June 1, 2010.

For the last five years, Kaneshima has been active in the East Asian art scene, particularly in the field of support-activities for artists and the management and coordination of many art projects.

"I am very excited to have the chance, as Executive Director of Art Fair Tokyo, to sincerely and dynamically work towards demonstrating the wonders of Tokyo’s art scene to the world," Kaneshima said.

"We need to consider the specific role of Tokyo in Asia and how Art Fair Tokyo should function in the global art scene.

I believe that Art Fair Tokyo can be more appealing to the world by reflecting Japan's unique characteristics and its potential, so I greatly look forward to further developing and refining the quality of the fair."

Working on the foundations built by Shin, Art Fair Tokyo will continue to grow, taking advantage of Kaneshima’s network and his proven skills of organizing fascinating projects in the East Asian region.

Takahiro Kaneshima
Executive Director-Elect, Art Fair Tokyo (assumes role on June 1, 2010). Director of FEC (Far East Contemporaries).

Kaneshima has managed research projects related to contemporary art in East Asia, activities for supporting artists, and interexchange activities.

After graduating with an M.A. in Media and Governance from the Graduate School of Keio University, he worked for NOKIA and Toshiba Corporation.

Since 2005, he has been involved in a variety of contemporary art businesses in Beijing. Kaneshima has worked for TOKYO GALLERY + BTAP in Beijing, and served as the East Asia producer for "ART iT."

Kaneshima was born in 1977 in Tokyo.