0406 Swiss Contemporary Arts in Japan

On the occasion of the EXPO 2005 world exhibition in Aichi, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia – in close collaboration with over 60 partners in Japan and Switzerland and with the Swiss embassy in Tokyo – has organised a cultural programme entitled 0406 Swiss Contemporary Arts in Japan.

The programme was launched in October 2004 in the run-up to the exhibition, and it continued until the autumn of 2006. Over those two years the most diverse events – contemporary art, design, comics, web art, film, performance, drama, music and literature from Switzerland – have been staged in about twenty Japanese cities.

By mounting the two-year 0406 Swiss Contemporary Arts in Japan program, the Arts Council has afforded the Japanese public a wide range of insights into contemporary Swiss artistic creativity. It also helped promote meetings and partnerships between Japanese festival organisers and Swiss cultural players.