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2025.08.26
IHJ Cultural Lobby Interdisciplinary Talk #10: “AI and Buddhism: Where Do We Come From, and Where Are We Going?”
I-House will host the November edition of the IHJ Cultural Lobby Interdisciplinary Talk as part of Art Week Tokyo. Over two days, I-House Director of the Art & Design Section Yuko Hasegawa will moderate the program that will explore two globally significant themes in depth.
On November 6, the focus will be on “AI and Buddhism.” Featured speakers will be Yuma Kishi, a rising artist known for The Frankenstein Papers exhibition curated by the conversational AI model MaryGPT, and Shoukei Matsumoto, a Buddhist monk and philosopher whose work bridges traditional wisdom and contemporary business management. Matsumoto supports top executives in articulating their personal philosophies and building legacies for future generations with the aim of being remembered as “good ancestors.”
As globalization, medical innovation, and AI technology continue to reshape our world, we are increasingly confronted with fundamental questions: Where do we come from, and where are we going?
This one-of-a-kind dialogue between an AI artist and a Buddhist monk invites us to reexamine human identity through the lens of Japanese animism and the Buddhist concept of ichi-soku-ta—the idea that one contains the many—and to see humans, machines, and the world as equals in a shared reality.
Join us for two days of cross-disciplinary exchange, where new perspectives and shared inspiration emerge as Japan’s cultural currents meet the world.
Date & Time: Thursday, November 6, 3:00–4:00 pm (Doors open 2:30 pm)
Venue: Iwasaki Koyata Memorial Hall, International House of Japa
Speakers: Yuma KISHI (Artist), Shoukei MATSUMOTO (Buddhist Monk and Philosopher)
Moderator: Yuko HASEGAWA (Director of Art and Design, International House of Japan)
Language: Japanese (with English interpretation)
Admission:3,000 yen (IHJ Members: 2,000 yen, Students:1,500 yen)
＊For the member’s spouse or partner, please buy the member’s ticket. Other accompanying guests will be charged the regular price.
Speaker Profiles
Yuma KISHI (Artist)
Artist. Born in 1993. Reframing AI as “Alien Intelligence,” the artist advocates an emergent relationship between humans and AI as an “alien subject,” and collaborates with a self-developed AI to create paintings, sculptures, and installations. Major solo exhibitions include “Oracle Womb” (2025, √K Contemporary) and “The Frankenstein Papers” (2023 / DIESEL ART GALLERY). Group exhibitions include “DXP2” (2024 / 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa) and “JYU (Second Chapter / BEAUTIFUL DAYDREAM)” (2024 / Maruka Building), among others.
Kishi has also drawn attention for research-based collaborations with the fashion brand HATRA, artwork contributions for bands such as RADWIMPS and King Gnu, and visual direction for musician Keiichiro Shibuya’s “Android Opera.” The artist is also the author of “Michi tono sozo” (2025, Seibundo Shinkosha). Honors include selection for the “CAF Award 2023” and the “ATAMI ART GRANT 2022.”
Shoukei MATSUMOTO(Buddhist Monk and Philosopher)
Shoukei Matsumoto has over 20 years of experience as a Pure Land Buddhist. he received his BA in Philosophy at The University of Tokyo in Japan and MBA at Indian School of Business in India as an Ambassadorial Scholar of Rotary Foundation. He has notably published A Monk’s Guide to Clean a House and Mind (Penguin) in more than twenty languages, among other books. Matsumoto has also translated books, including Roman Krznaric’s The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short-Term World. He has held lectures and workshops internationally, and has been featured on publications including the Japan Times, the Guardian and the Forbes Japan. He contributed to the United Nations UNDP Signals Spotlight 2024 with “A GOOD ANCESTOR”. He is a producer of Musashino University’s 100th Anniversary project Camphor Tree Village and hosts the podcast program ‘voice’ (in English), a dialogue with global leaders.
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