The Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art (TARO Award) is an annual open-call art prize in Japan, honoring artists whose work embodies the challenging and innovative spirit of avant-garde painter and sculptor Taro Okamoto (1911-1996).
The award was established in 1997 under the name Taro Okamoto Memorial Contemporary Art Award (岡æ¬太éÂÂè¨Â念ç¾代è¸è¡Â大è³Â) to commemorate OkamotoâÂÂs legacy and promote new forms of artistic expression. In 2007, the prize was renamed to its current title. Its founding vision asks: âÂÂwho creates the age?â (Japanese: æÂÂ代ãÂÂåµé ãÂÂãÂÂè ã¯誰ãÂÂ), a phrase drawn from OkamotoâÂÂs 1954 book The Art of Today, which carried the subtitle âÂÂWho truly creates the age?âÂÂ.
The competition is an open submission exhibition (å ¬åÂÂå±Â), accepting creators across all ages, disciplines, and nationalities. Entrants submit works to a preliminary review, after which selected pieces are exhibited at the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art in Kawasaki. During the exhibition, the final prizes are awarded. Artists are responsible for production and transportation costs of their works.
The panel of jurors changes regularly and has included prominent artists, curators, and critics active in contemporary Japanese art.
The prize is currently divided into several categories. The Taro Okamoto Prize (岡æ¬太éÂÂè³Â) functions as the grand prize and is presented to a single artis. The Toshiko Okamoto Prize (岡æ¾ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂè³Â), named after OkamotoâÂÂs partner and longtime collaborator Toshiko Okamoto. In addition, several Special Prizes (ç¹åÂ¥è³Â) are conferred. The competition places no restrictions on artistic medium, and recipients have included painters, sculptors, installation artists, and performance artists.