The Invisible Dog (New York City) and BUoY Arts Center (Tokyo) are thrilled to present NAFAS, a month long festival celebrating Art and Food.
In Arabic, nafas means breath—but also the gift some possess to elevate food beyond sustenance into something extraordinary.
In this spirit, the Tokyo edition of NAFAS Festival will bring together artists, performers, scholars, writers, poets, and chefs to consider food through multiple forms of art.
NAFAS is both exhibition and gathering. Artists from Japan and elsewhere will present new and existing works, while the festival extends beyond the gallery through community-oriented events, performances, cooking classes, film screenings, musical concerts, and conversations.
The call for artists is open, deadline April 30, 2024
Apply here
The program of NAFAS Tokyo will be announced in June 2026
About BUoY Arts Center
These ruins are full of history. The first floor was once a bowling alley; the basement, a public bath. Now, it has been renovated by its members — a diverse group: architects, artists, mangaka, (former) bank clerks, dramaturgs, baristas, dancers, critics, poets, accountants, painters, choreographers, lawyers, curators, directors, editors, researchers, translators, and set designers.
Their basement space was opened in July 2017, and the first-floor arts centre followed in October. Above, BUoY has a café, a gallery for art exhibitions, and a rehearsal space. The basement below, stretching out for 300㎡, is used for theatre and dance productions. There, they present cutting-edge productions that combine the diverse genres of arts: theatre, performance, dance, poetry, architecture, food, film…Their mission is to create encounters with 'otherness'.
A BUoY (/ˈbuːiː/) is a signpost that floats in the sea. As a reference point that does not sink even if submerged, it can also serve as a landmark for ships that have lost their way on the open water. This name declares their desire to guide and support young artists. It also represents their intention to disseminate art that is new, yet still immersed in the history of their home in Senjū: a land-ship floating between the Arakawa and Sumidagawa rivers. The idea that BUoY should be a place to encounter other values resonates with the tolerance of diversity that has flourished in this post town since the time of the samurai.
BUoY is a place that is skeptical of the obvious in Japanese society – its pursuit of compromise and preëstablished harmony – and instead hints at the view from a slightly more distant vantage point. It is a place where one can come to encounter something other than oneself. It is a place where one can come face-to-face with critical, cutting-edge art, full of intent.
From these ruins, they aim to help create a society that is more open to diversity.
The NAFAS edition in Tokyo has been made possible thanks to our generous donators
Gisela Blanc, Rima Abdul Malak, Katherine Fleming, J. Paul Getty Trust, Erin Hurley and Ashley Newton, Stéphane Magnan, Paz Corona, Danielle and Aamir, Vallejo Gantner.
Jill Benson, Monica Blanc, Nemo Hoffman, Mio Nakamura, Sara Lubtchansky Lindsay Grindstaff, Lili Chopra, Jude Griebel, Edouard Laug, Martine Uzan, Aaron Landsman, Tristan de Terves, Kyle Boyd, Laurence Herszberg.
Some donors wish to remain anonymous.
Be a supporter of the Tokyo Edition of NAFAS.
The first edition of NAFAS Festival was created in September 2022 in New York City. 40 visuals artists were part of the exhibition and 17 events - cinema, theater, danse, music, talk… were offered to the public.
You can discover the full program here
Location
BUoY Arts Center
49-11, Senju-Nakacho, Adachi-ku,
Tokyo
Admission:
Free
Dates
September 4 - 26, 2026
Opening Reception
Saturday September 26
6.30-9.30pm
Gallery Hours
TBA