NowHere Vanguards is a project to document, preserve, and reintroduce the work of Japanese and Japan-related artists who have built—and continue to build—their lives and practices in New York—often outside the spotlight, yet deeply contributing to the city’s creative landscape.

Many of these artists came to New York in the 1960s and 1970s, driven by the same curiosity and ambition that continue to define NowHere today. They have lived and worked through eras of artistic and cultural transformation, bridging Japan and the United States in ways that have not always been recorded or recognized as they deserve.

By sharing these Vanguards, NowHere seeks to create a lasting platform where these artists’ works, histories, and voices can be seen, studied, and appreciated anew—by both contemporary audiences and future generations. The initiative is not only an act of preservation but also a continuation of dialogue: between past and present, between individual memory and collective history, between Japan and New York.