'Heterotopias' is the theme of the exhibition at the Japanese Pavilion of the 50th Venice Biennale. For this edition of the Venice Biennale, Japan is represented by two artists, Yutaka Sone and Motohiko Odani. Yuko Hasegawa, Commissioner of the Japanese Pavilion writes, 'In contrast to utopia, with its symbolic meaning of an ideal place which exists nowhere, heterotopia, signifies and actual place somewhere, whether it is ideal or not.' The two artists create real spaces and reflect the heteroptopic characteristic of Japan through their sculptures and installations of moving images. The theme underlying Sone's work is the meta-landscape that appears as a result of the involvement of people and nature; Odani's works explore the new sensations of the body, the nature of transformation in the age of complex media environment and information society.

Biographical notes of the artists are provided at the back of the catalogue.