Feb.11（Wed）- 23（Mon）Ai Futaki Solo Exhibition【Traces of Hayama】at Parque, Nishikoyama Tokyo

The sea of Hayama – light loosening into brightness, layers of currents, sinking particles. Plants and animals, the quiet presence of life.

Step onto land, and there is the scent of soil and stone, the shadows of trees. A passing wind moves through it all, gently re-binding what is scattered.

Traces of Hayama is an attempt by Ai Futaki to trace the sea, the land, and the moving air of Hayama – the place where she lives.

Rather than simply capturing scenery, the works look at what exists as it is, from multiple angles. A slight shift in perspective allows the same subject to reveal a different contour. Through Futaki’s gaze, a single place rises not as a flat image, but as something with depth and resonance.

Tracing Hayama – a small point on the Earth; this viewpoint gradually opens toward the planet’s wider circulation.

The ebb and flow of tides, the cycle of rainwater, the movement of sand, the paths of wind, and the lives that respond to one another.

We hope this exhibition becomes a place where visitors can feel through their own senses… how local phenomena are inseparably linked to distant seas and skies.

The venue is Parque, in Nishikoyama, Tokyo.
By repositioning Hayama within another local context, the world may begin to feel less distant – emerging instead as a constellation of connected places, growing closer, more tangible.

The experience of being in front of the artworks may open a pathway; one that connects the place you stand now to the Earth itself.

【Traces of Hayama】We hope this exhibition becomes a point of connection.

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Ai Futaki solo exhibition【Traces of Hayama】

Dates：2026.02.11 Wed. – 02.23 Mon.
( Closed: 02.16 Mon. – 02.17 Tue. )

Venue：Parque
6-21-20 Koyama, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-0062
( 4 min walk from Tokyu Meguro Line [Nishikoyama Station] )
https://parque-tokyo.com

Hours：12:00-20:00

Welcome to the third episode of Behind the Yellow Curtain!
In this episode, host Jess chats with Ai Futaki, the world’s only “Aquatic Expressionist” and a freediver who holds two Guinness World Records.
Growing up in a liberal elementary school in Kanazawa, Ai was unconcerned with nationality.
That changed when she entered a Japanese public junior high school, where she felt a deep sense of unease with its rigid, uniform rules. Unable to fit into the box of “normal,” she ventured abroad in search of a place where she truly belonged.
Dreaming of becoming a documentary filmmaker, she moved to Cuba, only to hit a major wall and face despair.
Exhausted by everything, she returned to her hometown, where a single intuition saved her: “I must return to the water.”

How did her painful experience of not fitting into society lead her to a one-of-a-kind form of expression?
Why did she—a diver who melts into the aquatic world with nothing but her own lungs—find her true self not on land, but “in the water”?
This is an episode that touches on a supple yet powerful way of life, living in harmony with nature.

Guest: Ai Futaki
Aquatic Expressionist (Suizoku Hyogenka). Ambassador for the Ministry of the Environment’s “Mori-Sato-Kawa-Umi Project.” mymizu Ambassador. Holder of two Guinness World Records in freediving. As the one-and-only Aquatic Expressionist, she works on the world stage to act as a bridge between the underwater and terrestrial worlds. Diving without an air tank, she immerses herself among marine mammals on a single breath to become one of them. As both a subject in front of the camera and a photographer behind it, she expresses her core message: “We are a part of nature, and we live with nature.”

・Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/58ASvlg…
・Listen on Youtube: https://youtu.be/H_KpRU97qeg?feature=shared
・Language: English — Japanese subtitles available by turning on CC

【COEXIST】PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION OPENING COCKTAIL
AN EXHIBITION BY AI FUTAKI, SUBAQUATIC MESSENGER
Women’s Pavilion in collaboration with Cartier

Step into the poetic world of Ai Futaki through her exhibition.
This exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the invisible connections that bind nature, plants, animals, and humans. Through striking underwater imagery, Ai reminds us that we are all part of one family of life, living together on Earth.


To mark the opening on July 1st, a special evening cocktail will be held from 5 PM to 9 PM, open to the public. Guests will enjoy complimentary cocktail and mocktail creations.

Registration : https://live.eventtia.com/en/jp-womenspavilion-coexist-2507

June 10th 15:00 – 15:45 SUSTAINABLE LEGACY: LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE; CARTIER WA DIALOGUES at Women’s Pavilion, EXPO OSAKA 2025 in collaboration with Cartier

Rethinking our relationship with nature has become urgent as climate disruption and biodiversity loss accelerate. 

In this session, Japanese breath-hold diver and Ocean Ambassador Ai Futaki will share how her world record-breaking dives have shaped a philosophy of coexistence with nature. She will shed light on the emotional intelligence of marine life, the healing power of water, and how reconnecting with the ocean can turn advocacy into authentic empathy for our planet. 



Moderator: 
Asha Sumputh, Journalist, Waterlily Media   


Speaker: 
Ai Futaki, Apnea free-diving world record-holder & Ambassador for the ocean for the Ministry of the Environment of Japan 



Language: English
Venue: CARTIER WA DIALOGUES at Women’s Pavilion, EXPO OSAKA 2025 in collaboration with Cartier
Date: June-10th, Tuesday 15:00-15:45

Women’s Pavilion : https://womenspavilion.cartier.com