Yayoi Shionoiri is the Vice President of External Affairs and General Counsel of Powerhouse Arts, a purpose-built fabrication facility with state-of-the-art equipment in Brooklyn that allows artists and fabrication professionals the opportunity to experiment and work in different mediums. She also serves as U.S. Alliance Partner to City Lights Law. Yayoi has written about, and presented throughout the world on, legal issues related to copyright and contemporary art, AI and digital art, and ethics related to new technology. From 2019 to 2024, she served as Executive Director to the Estate of Chris Burden and the Studio of Nancy Rubins, where she was responsible for stewarding Burden’s art historical legacy and promoting Rubins’ artistic practice. From 2015 to 2019, Yayoi served as General Counsel and Head of Asia Strategy to Artsy, responsible for all legal matters of the company’s global operations, advising on corporate transactions, intellectual property issues, technology start-up management and operations, and digital media strategy. From 2011 to 2015, Yayoi was the Associate General Counsel of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, providing legal services for matters including exhibitions and non-profit operations. From 2008 to 2011, she served as Legal Advisor to Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami, managing his contract negotiations and worldwide intellectual property rights. She received her A.B. from Harvard University (2000), her J.D. from Cornell Law School (2003), and her M.A. from Columbia University in Modern Art (2010). As an US-Japan Leadership Program Fellow and an Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader, she actively contributes to the ongoing development of cultural collaborations and political ties across nations. She serves as an Outside Board Director to Startbahn, a Japanese blockchain company, and a Board Director to the Asia Art Archive in America.
Instagram: @yayoi_shionoiri