"NON Ribbon Exhibition: Mysterious and Cute Things - Gathering Together"July 31 - October 13 National Museum of Ethnology

“Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025” enters its latter half with artist NON's installation work taking on a new form.

The work Ribbon Tied to the Back (Kokeshi Lantern), previously displayed as a teaser at the National Museum of Ethnology entrance, will expand into the underground space starting Thursday, July 31. It will be fully exhibited as the “NON Ribbon Exhibition: Strange and Cute Things. -Gathering-”.

This exhibition brings together a “flock” of works, featuring ribbon art collaborations with traditional Tohoku crafts—kokeshi dolls, red and white beko cows, Tanabata decorations, and more—that have been motifs for NON, alongside ten newly designed “kokeshi lanterns” and new “red beko” and “white beko” pieces.

Given the summer setting, the new kokeshi lanterns incorporate seasonal motifs like flowers and fruits, constructing a world where different kinds of cuteness and eeriness coexist.

NON herself chose the word “flock” as the theme for this exhibition.

The core question driving this installation is: What emotions and atmospheres emerge when we overlay the concept of “flocking”—a behavior exhibited by humans and animals—with the “objects” of art?

This exhibition also draws inspiration from the National Museum of Ethnology itself as a venue.

NON expressed her hope that visitors “will experience a deeper worldview by exploring both this exhibition and the museum's permanent displays.”

Please come to the venue to see Non's ribbon art, where seemingly contradictory elements—strange and cute—coexist.

(Photo: Inside the National Museum of Ethnology, at the Kokeshi Corner)

"NON Ribbon Exhibition: Mysterious and Cute Things - Gathering Together":Event Overview

・Event Name:
Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025

・Exhibition Name:
“NON Ribbon Exhibition: Mysterious and Cute Things - Gathering Together”

・Artist:
NON

・Curator:
Yasuo Nakano (Director, Kyoto Field; Former Curator, Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki)

・Dates:
Thursday, July 31, 2025 - Monday, October 13, 2025

・Official Website:https://osaka-kansai.art/

・Exhibition Venue:
National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku)
10-1 Senri Banpaku-koen, Suita-shi, Osaka
*Exhibition held in the Special Exhibition Underground Hall.
*About Minpaku: https://www.minpaku.ac.jp/

・Cooperation: Tokyo Ribbon

・Fee: Paid

A ticket for “Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025” or a ticket for the National Museum of Ethnology is required.
About purchasing “Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025” tickets
Tickets can be purchased online or at the Minpaku Shop.
Ticket Purchase:https://osaka-kansai.art/pages/ticket

※Regarding Admission to Expo '70 Commemorative Park (Fee Required)

・Holders of “Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025” tickets or National Museum of Ethnology tickets may pass through Expo '70 Commemorative Park free of charge. Please present your “Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025” ticket at any staffed ticket window at the park gates to receive a pass.

・An admission fee is required to enter Expo '70 Commemorative Park.

※Discounted Admission to the National Museum of Ethnology

・Present your “Study: Osaka Kansai International Art Festival 2025” ticket at the National Museum of Ethnology ticket office to receive discounted admission (group rate) to the main building exhibitions.

・Photo: Kentaro Minami (FOCUS STUDIO)