KINUTANI Art Place Hiroo Educational Program 001 Creating the Twenty-First Room: A Workshop on Making and Appreciating Koji Kinutani’s Arabesque
Arabesque is a series of twenty murals painted in the fresco technique by Koji Kinutani. Installed in 1985 at the entrance to the theater of Kodomo no Shiro (Children’s Castle) on Aoyama-dori in Shibuya, Tokyo, the work has been cherished by countless visitors over the years.
This workshop invites you to immerse yourself in the dreamlike world of Arabesque—a narrative that transcends time, place, and history—and carries new creative expression forward from 1985 to the present.
Throughout Arabesque, geometric “rooms” appear again and again. Though every scene is framed by the same room-shaped outline, each of the twenty panels opens onto an entirely different world. In this workshop, we turn our attention to these “rooms” and invite each participant to create their own Twenty-First Room. Let your imagination roam freely—draw the landscapes in your mind, worlds you have dreamed up, or simply the things you love right now.
After the art-making session, we will bring everyone’s “rooms” together for a shared viewing. You will have the chance to rediscover what makes Arabesque so compelling: how entirely different worlds can emerge from exactly the same form.
We will also hold a dialogue-based viewing session, where participants share their thoughts on each other’s works—an opportunity to encounter perspectives and sensibilities different from your own.
Come and share in the joy of seeing, feeling, and expressing together, across all ages and generations. Children, families, and adults on their own are all warmly welcome.
Event Information
Event Title
KINUTANI Art Place Hiroo Educational Program 001
Creating the Twenty-First Room: A Workshop on Making and Appreciating Koji Kinutani’s Arabesque
Date & Time
Sunday, July 19, 2026
1:00 PM–4:00 PM (scheduled)
Schedule
1:00 PM — Museum opens / Registration begins
(Visitors may arrive at any time before 1:30 PM. After checking in, you are welcome to explore the exhibition freely.)
1:30–2:00 PM — Gallery Talk by a Curator
2:00–3:30 PM — Art-Making Session
3:30–4:00 PM — Dialogue-Based Viewing Session
(Let’s look at everyone’s completed “rooms” together.)
Eligibility
Open to everyone.
Adults are also welcome to participate.
Participation Fee
¥1,500 (includes museum admission)
*Please pay on the day of the event. The following payment methods are accepted: cash, credit cards (VISA, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club, Discover), PayPay, au PAY, QUICPay, iD, and transportation IC cards.
Workshop Materials
Participants will draw on drawing paper (approximately A4 size, Japanese 8-cut format) pre-printed with the outline of a “room,” using crayons, Coupy-pencils (color pencils with a waxy, crayon-like texture), colored pencils, Posca markers, and similar materials.
Completed works will be framed and may be taken home. A frame is yours to keep—our gift to you!
Participants are also welcome to bring their own paper or materials for collage-making. Please note that some materials may not be suitable for use, and three-dimensional elements may prevent framing. Collage materials will not be provided at the venue.
What to Bring
Nothing required.
Paint will not be used; however, if you are concerned about getting dirty, please bring an apron or wear clothing that can get messy.
Capacity
16 participants (first-come, first-served)
Registration
Please apply using the registration form below.
Registration will close once capacity is reached.
Registration Notes
- Applications are limited to a maximum of four participants per group. Although the online system may allow a larger number to be selected, please limit your application to four people or fewer.
- Due to space limitations, non-participants (including parents or siblings who are not taking part) may not attend or observe the workshop.
- If a parent wishes to accompany an elementary-school-aged child or older, the parent must also register as a participant.
- Preschool-aged children may participate together with a parent as a pair—one participation fee covers both, and they will create one artwork together.
- After submitting the registration form, you will receive an automatic reply to the email address you provided. Please note that your registration is not yet complete at this stage.
- As places are limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, we may unfortunately be unable to accept your application if capacity has already been reached.
- You will be notified of your participation status by email within three business days (excluding weekends and public holidays). Registration is considered complete only upon receipt of a formal Registration Confirmed email from the museum. Please make sure to check your inbox.
- If you do not receive an email from us within three business days and it is not in your spam folder, please contact us by email or telephone.
- If your email client uses spam filters or domain-based filtering, please ensure that emails from @kinutani-art.or.jp are set to be received.
Important Information for Participants
Please read carefully before attending.
- The museum cannot assume responsibility for accidents, injuries, or other incidents that may occur during the workshop.
- As materials are prepared in advance based on the number of registered participants, we kindly ask that you avoid cancellations whenever possible. If cancellation is unavoidable, please notify us by email no later than 10:00 AM on the day of the event.
- Photographs and videos will be taken during the workshop for documentation, publicity (website, social media, printed materials), and activity reporting purposes. Images that do not identify individuals—such as photographs of participants’ hands or taken from behind—may be used. Images in which a participant’s name or face is clearly recognizable will not be published without their permission.
- To allow participants to focus on their creative work, photography and video recording are not permitted during the art-making session. Photography is allowed only during the final dialogue-based viewing session, when all completed works are displayed together. When taking photographs, please be mindful not to capture other participants in the frame, and please respect everyone’s privacy when posting on social media.
- An elevator is available; however, the elevator is accessible only after navigating a flight of stairs, which cannot be bypassed by wheelchair. The museum is not fully barrier-free, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
- For the protection of the artworks on display, strollers may not be used in the fifth-floor gallery. We are also unable to provide storage for strollers, and we appreciate your understanding.
Venue
KINUTANI Art Place Hiroo
5F Takara Building, 5-25-4 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Access
- 7 minutes on foot from Exit 1 or 2 of Hiroo Station (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line)
- About 13 minutes by Toei Bus from Bus Stop No. 58 at the East Exit of Shibuya Station (JR), bound for Shimbashi-ekimae or Akabanebashi-ekimae; get off at Hiroo-Gochōme (Hiroo 5), then a 1-minute walk
Contact
Email: office［at］kinutani-art.or.jp
Telephone: +81-3-6455-7833
(Inquiries accepted only during museum opening hours: Thursday & Friday 1:00–5:00 PM, Saturday 11:00 AM–5:00 PM)
Organizer
Koji Kinutani Art Foundation
Cooperation
Palette Children’s Art Studio