THE 16th ART IN THE OFFICE 2023 Winning Artwork Completed
Tokyo, August 17, 2023 – Monex Group, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Executive
Officer and CEO: Yuko Seimei) is pleased to announce that it has selected Liisa as the winning artist for ART IN
THE OFFICE 2023, one of the social contribution and employee awareness programs undertaken by the company,
and that the winning artwork has been completed.
Selected from among 134 entries, the work of Liisa's “Liminal space” was highly evaluated for its attempt topresent a variety of interpretations and new stories in a press room where communication is essential throughexpression that does not rely on language, coming from her own background of having spent time in diverse
cultures and languages. The judges were also interested in the plan's dynamic nature in which the artwork wasdeployed throughout the entire press room, and in the immersive experience of entering the artwork, which aimed
to create a place located at the boundary of the work, like an extension of the horizon line.
ART IN THE OFFICE is a program to support up-and-coming contemporary artists by creating opportunities todisplay their work. With a desire to advance contemporary art’s pursuit of new forms of expression and focus onvarious societal issues, this program was started in 2008 and is operated with the cooperation of Arts Initiative
Tokyo (AIT), a non-profit organization. In addition to providing opportunities for winning artists to further
succeed in their field, the program seeks to inspire employees through their interactions with artists toacknowledge different values and ideas as they discover new perspectives.
As in the corporate philosophy, always a step ahead of the “Y” in “MONEY,” the company is constantly exploring
ways to embrace all people who are engaged at the forefront of our future.

Photo: Monex Group, Inc. Press Room (GALAXY)ART IN THE OFFICE 2023 work /Liisa/ Liminal space / 2023 / Permanent ink on sheet, acrylic paints, screentone /Dimensions variable◆Winning Artwork and Artist
1. Title of the Work: Liminal space
2. Profile of Liisa, winning artist of ART IN THE OFFICE 2023

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Born in Hungary in 1999 (Chinese nationality), moved to Italy in 2001 and cameto Japan in 2018; graduated from Kyoto Seika University, Faculty of Manga, Story
Manga Course in 2023; enrolled in Tokyo University of the Arts, Master's Programin Design (Lab 8 Draw) from 2023. She explores immersive expressions using
manga techniques based on the theme of the memory caused by everyday objects
and places and the discomfort and displacement caused by deviations from theoriginal context. At university, she conducts research on spaces and theirexperiences through the use of illustration. Major exhibitions to date include thesolo exhibition “Prayer” (2022, Shoeido Konshukan, Kyoto) and “Turner AcrylicGouache meets Manga Artist” (2022, Turner Gallery, Tokyo). Nominated as afinalist in the “TOKYO MIDTOWN AWARD 2023” art competition, will beexhibited at Tokyo Midtown from October 5, 2023. Additionally, a solo exhibition is scheduled to be held at“HIGURE17-15cas” (Tokyo) in October 2024.
3．Comments from Liisa
I emphasize presenting stories where a slightly different element is added next to scenes considered part ofeveryday life, highlighting the shifts in meaning and the birth of storytelling that arise through these connections
and disconnections. “A narrative” is not a one-way transmission of information; rather, it requires the viewer toengage in the act of reinterpreting the presented events. I perceive this as a “dialogue space.” A conference room,in essence, is also a “dialogue space,” sharing the same nature. What does intentionally conveying this throughnon-verbal expression signify? There is no “completion” to the narrative I create; the process of composition andre-composition continues incessantly. The conveyed narrative is generated collaboratively by both the audienceand the storyteller, and I believe that generating new meanings or mutations through these shifts is inherently vitalto storytelling. During my residency, there was a constant opportunity to hear employees' impressions about theevolving artwork. Unexpected feedback and encountering things that hadn't been put into words before werevaluable experiences. After the workshop, on the last day of the residency, I added a boy waiting for the rabbit to
the painting that originally had no figures. This was driven by the desire to expand the space and narrative scope.
Additionally, hearing the employees' stories during the workshop ignited a motivation to make the world of“stories” more three-dimensional and realistic. A common thread in the stories I heard at the workshop was thesense of living with both fear and anticipation. “Waiting” involves receiving orders, anticipating the future within
the space of possibilities, and expecting something. It's about following something beyond oneself and awaiting
the arrival of the future. It's filled with “expectations,” “desires,” and “prayers,” and it's a realm that can't bebounded by the limits of beauty. Just as when someone else talks about someone else’s experience, I aimed tocreate a liminal space (a place on the boundary), an extension of the horizon beyond the conference room.
Here, objectivity and subjectivity blend, giving rise to a simultaneous sense of immersion and detachments.
The space exists as a threshold, where these elements coalesce and evoke a unique atmosphere.
Reference: Hamada Hideyuki, The act of reading a "story" with others: A classroom discourse analysis focusing
on focalization, 2017, KAZAMASHOBO◆About the selection of the winner
1．ART IN THE OFFICE support
One person (or one group) selected among entries submitted by publicly recruited participants will be provided
space to exhibit the winning work in the company’s Press Room for approximately one year. The selected artist
will receive ¥500,000 in prize money as well as ¥150,000 to cover production costs. In addition, the winning
artwork will appear on the company’s annual report and other materials and used for original novelty goods.
In 2019, ART IN THE OFFICE was selected for “This is MECENAT 2019,” a certification system of theAssociation for Corporate Support of the Arts. In 2012, the program received the 2012 Good Design Award (GMark System) from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion.
2．Selection criteria- Artists in the contemporary art field (students permitted)- A unique and innovative work that reflects an understanding of the characteristics of the Press Room
- Artwork needs to incorporate Monex’s corporate philosophy of “embracing people who are engaged at theforefront of the future.”
3．Judges (alphabetical order)
Keiko Okamura(Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo)
Yutaka Kikutake (Director,Yutaka Kikutake Gallery)2

Yuko Shiomi
PakkunOki MatsumotoContact:(Director, Arts Initiative Tokyo)(Entertainer)(Executive Chairman, Monex Group, Inc.)

Akiko KatoCorporate Communications OfficeMonex Group, Inc.
+81-3-4323-8698

Yuki Nakano, Taishi Komori
Investor Relations, Financial Control Department
Monex Group, Inc.
+81-3-4323-8698

This material is an English translation of a Japanese announcement made on the date above. Although theCompany intended to faithfully translate the Japanese document into English, the accuracy and correctness of thisEnglish translation is not guaranteed and thus you are encouraged to refer to the original Japanese document. Thistranslation was made as a matter of record only and does not constitute an offer to sell or to solicit an offer to buy securities
in the U.S.

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