Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2014

Tokyo’s big “art heart” takes a mighty beat this weekend as Tokyo Art Fair sets up its stall once again at Tokyo International Forum for the annual event that brings together most of the important local galleries, plus a few from overseas.

The three-day event, which runs over this weekend, is guaranteed to whet the appetite of art fans and point to some of the main trends for the year ahead, although these might be hard to see among all the variety. With around 100 galleries participating, expect to be bombarded with all kinds of art, from antiques to avant-garde, abstract to figurative, domestic to exotic.

With international currencies—and other reserves of value like gold and bitcoin—fluctuating wildly, now may be the ideal time to hedge by investing in a bit of quality art, with the added bonus that it’ll brighten up your home. So, with decorative and mercenary motives in mind, here are my picks of what to seek out and haggle over—if it hasn’t been “red-dotted” by the time you get there!

March 7-March 9. See details.