Japan
Japan
BankART1929 - Yokohama
BankART1929 was established in 2004 as a non-profit organization designed to utilize refurbished historical buildings for the development of contemporary culture and arts in Yokohama City. The organisation currently runs BankART Studio NYK, a renovated former warehouse which coverers approx. 3,000 square metres.
BankART1929 actively pursues hundreds of programs per year, operating studio spaces, planning and organizing art courses, running the bookshop and producing its contents, as well as organizing exhibitions and providing coordinator services. The art forms presented range from fine arts, architecture, theatre and dance to music and more. These activities are not only conducted within the BankART building but also in its surrounding neighbourhood.
Art form/s | Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Arts Management, Writing |
Collaborative permitted? | Yes |
Preferred host dates | N/A |
Potential opportunities | Welcome party, artist talks |
Location and transport | Located in the metropolitan area, a few minutes walk to supermarket/shops, accessible by bicycle |
Facilities | Private studio/work space, shared studio/workspace, internet, communication facilities, translation services, gallery space, outdoor spaces for site specific works, library/archive/research resources, on-site food/meals |
Accommodation provided? | Off-site accommodation with private bathroom, private kitchen, separate living/working space |
Fees | Accommodation is provided by BankART1920. Therefore successful residents to BankART1929 will receive up to $9,000 for three months from Asialink. |
Partners/ families permitted? | Yes - accommodation for partners/families negotiable |
Website | http://www/bankart1929.com/ |
Youkobo Art Space – Tokyo
Based in Tokyo with over 28 years of experience of hosting international artists, Youkobo has developed a unique residence program focused on supporting the creative activities of its participants.
While providing an environment conducive to work in the studio, Youkobo has become a vital platform for exchange between artists of different backgrounds and genres through its residency and gallery program. At the same time, it provides opportunities for engagement with the local community and wider art scene through an extensive domestic and international network.
The Youkobo Artist Residency Program aims to give participating artists, curators, and researchers an enriching experience in the realization of their projects/research in Japan. In recent years, Youkobo is also working to develop exchange schemes with art universities in support of recent graduates.
Participants are selected based on the strength of their proposals and its suitability to the Youkobo facilities, as well as the quality of previous work.
Art form/s | Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Writing, Arts Management |
Collaborative permitted? | Yes |
Preferred host dates | March and April 2019 (max. 2 months) |
Potential opportunities | Open studios, exhibitions, artists talks, engagement with other artists, introduction to local industry contacts and networks. |
Location and transport | 30 minutes by bus and train to central Tokyo, 5 minutes to supermarket, stores and restaurants. Bus stop is next to the art space, 15 minutes walk to train station. Bicycles are available to artists. |
Facilities | Internet, private studio/work space, library/archive/research resources, exhibition equipment. |
Accommodation provided? | Yes - with private bathroom, private kitchen, separate living/working space. |
Fees | AIR-3 (200,000 yen per month for studio and accommodation, inclusive of utility fees) will be provided to the successful Asialink applicant. This space is best suited to creative artists who wish to undertake research and create a new body of work. The generous studio space can also serve as an exhibition space at the end of the residency, should the applicant wish to do so. See website for further details. |
Partners/ families permitted? | Yes to both - additional futons available in a shared room. Surcharge applies for accommodation of guests other than the applicant. |
Website |
Sapporo Tenjinyama Art Studio
Set atop the park in southern Sapporo, Tenjinyama Art Studio offers panoramic views of the city and its surrounding mountains. Tenjinyama Art Studio houses 13 studio apartments, versatile larger spaces, as well as a gallery space on the ground floor. Local residents as well as international artists and residents from a wide range of creative backgrounds use this unique public space, providing a great forum for local engagement as well as an open dialogue between the artists and the community. Tenjinyama Art Studio offers self-funded residencies of up to 3 months, and provide a studio apartment, use of all public facilities and a wealth of local knowledge from the staff.
Art form/s | Visual Art, Performing Art, Writing, Arts Management |
Collaborative permitted? | Yes |
Preferred host dates | April onwards |
Potential opportunities | Artist talk, open studio/workshops, exhibition (negotiable), involvement in public events with resident artists, introduction to local and international artists and curators, universities, specialists and industry networks |
Location and transport | Sapporo Tenjinyama Art Studio is approximately 15 minutes by subway and 30 minutes by foot from downtown Sapporo. The nearest convenience store, subway station, bus stop, and shopping street are 10 minutes' walk. There is also a bicycle available for use. |
Facilities | On site accommodation, Private studio / work space, Internet, Communication facilities, Translation services, Gallery space, Performance space, Outdoor spaces for site-specific works, Library / archive / research resources |
Accommodation provided? | Private bathroom, Private kitchen, Shared kitchen, Separate living / working space |
Fees | Accommodation is provided by Sapporo Tenjinyama Art Studio, therefore successful residents to Sapporo Tenjinyama Art Studio will receive up to $9,000 for three months from Asialink. |
Partners/ families permitted? | Yes. Residents usually have a studio apartment with extra rooms and beds |
Website | http://tenjinyamastudio.jp/ |
Studio Kura - Fukuoka
Studio Kura opened in 2008 as an art institution running two different programs: artist in residence as well as art teaching for children and adults. Located in the beautiful rural environment of Itoshima peninsula in Fukuoka on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan, there are full of rich nature surrounded by sea, mountains and rice fields within walkable distance.
Studio Kura’s Artist in Residence Program is an opportunity for domestic and international artists to experience and draw inspiration from Japan’s rural environment, as well as for Studio Kura’s thriving local community to meet different artists and their works. We also organize art events such as the Itoshima Arts Farm: Itoshima International Art Festival (every two years) and participate the regional and seasonal events introducing the participating artists' works in the various locations.
Art form/s | Any |
Collaborative permitted? | Yes |
Preferred host dates | 4-8 week stay during November and/or December |
Potential opportunities | Exhibition and artist talk with other fellow artists in the end of the residence period, a workshop with kids if requested, collaborating with regional organizations, and experiencing the rural traditional environment/event in Japan. |
Location and transport | Located in Itoshima city, Fukuoka prefecture, Kyushu island, Japan. 50 mins by train from Fukuoka International Airport. |
Facilities | Studio space, 3D printer, laser cutter and CNC cutter. |
Accommodation provided? | Shared traditional Japanese house with other 2-3 artists, providing individual room. |
Fees | 90,000 yen for 4 week stay, 180,000 yen for 8 week stay (for individual artist). |
Partners/ families permitted? | Yes. A partner stay is acceptable by sharing a room. If a family participates, we could provide one of our accommodation houses. |
Website |
Asialink Arts × Cementa21 Virtual: Foreground // Foresight
On Friday October 15, Asialink Arts will present two events for Cementa’s Spirit of '21. Foreground // Foresight introduces key arts leaders from Japan to discuss arts and culture led community-engaged placemaking and regional renewal. The program aligns and reinforces Cementa’s commitment to promoting arts and cultural led regeneration in Kandos and the Mid-Western region of NSW. These sessions aim to explore future collaborations and possibilities in Kandos’s regional community, inspiring international conversations through a local lens and leading to an actionable future agenda.
Fram Kitagawa, founder of Art Front, and the world renowned Setouchi and Echigo Tsumari Triennials will open with a keynote presentation to introduce and inspire possibilities of arts led regional regeneration. Following this there will be a panel discussion with three esteemed speakers from Japan and Australia, Teiko Hinuma, Norikazu Sato and Andrew Burns who will explore from their persepctives the ingredients to successful community led activation and regeneration in regional locations.
Keynote Presentation – Fram Kitagawa: Vision and Arts Leadership in Regional Development
Date: Friday, 15 Oct 2021
Time: 12.00pm AEDT
Arts-led regional regeneration projects in Japan have a successful history in contributing to the region’s economic, social, and environmental renewal through art and cultural tourism. We have invited Fram Kitagawa, the esteemed director of influential projects responsible for large-scale rejuvenation in regional and rural Japan to share with us the rationale and impact of his work. The session will look both back and forward to assess the change that arts led regional development can manifest.
Register here.
Panel Discussion – From the Ground Up: Community Catalysts
Date: Friday, 15 Oct 2021
Time: 1.00pm AEDT
This panel moderated by Dr Pippa Dickson, Director of Asialink Arts, brings together leaders from Japanese arts-led regional regeneration projects to explore the trajectories and the social and cultural impacts of community-engaged placemaking. Teiko Hinuma, Norikazu Sato and Andrew Burns, will be invited to explore how the arts and architecture are crucial to expressing local identity. Through an exploration of their respective projects the panel will examine the importance of understanding communities and working with local identities in developing and maximising stakeholder engagement leading to long term activation of place and sustainability.
Register here.
Foreground // Foresight is presented by Asialink Arts and Cementa and supported by the Australian Government through the Australia-Japan Foundation @ausjapanfoundation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
More on the speakers:
Fram Kitagawa (北川フラム) is the Chairman of Art Front Gallery and Director of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale. Born in Niigata Prefecture in 1946. Following his graduation from Tokyo University of the Arts, he organised various exhibitions that introduced to Japan works of art that at the time were not well known. He has been responsible for a wide range of art projects such as the Antoni Gaudi exhibition that traveled to 13 Japanese cities in 1978-1979 and the Apartheid Non! International Art Festival, originally organized as Art Against Apartheid by UNESCO, that was shown at 194 venues throughout Japan in 1988-1990.
Kitagawa has received high praise for his involvement in activities related to community development, such as his lead role in the planning of the Faret Tachikawa Art Project and the cultural activities he oversaw at the Daikanyama Hillside Terrace.
He has served as the general director of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale since 2000, and has made a major contribution to the development of the region through art. He has also served as the general director of the Setouchi Triennale the Northern Alps Art Festival, the Oku-Noto Triennale and Ichihara Art Mix, Boso Satoyama International Art Festival.
Teiko Hinuma (日沼禎子) is the Program Director of the Kesen Artist in Residence Program (formerly known as Rikuzentakata AIR), a Professor of Art Produce and Museum Studies at Joshibi University of Art and Design, and a board member of AIR Network Japan. Previously, she worked for gallery management planning companies and art magazines as an editor.
In 1999, she was involved in the foundation of Aomori Contemporary Arts Centre. Until 2011, she served as a curator there, planning many exhibitions, projects, and residencies for artists. She has also served as the Program Director for the civilian artists support group ARTizan (Aomori), a project director of the Saitama Triennnale 2016 and art director of UBE Tokiwa Museum.
Norikazu Sato (佐東範一), Executive Director, NPO Japan Contemporary Dance Network, joined Butoh company Byakkosha in 1980 as both a dancer and company manager until it was dissolved in 1994. He studied arts management at the Dance Theater Workshop in New York in 1996. He then founded a non-profit organization, the Japan Contemporary Dance Network (JCDN) in Kyoto in 2001. JCDN organises Odori Ni Ikuze!! ("We are gonna go Dancing!!", a national tour project) affiliated with performance venues across Japan from 2000, including Asian tours.
JCDN has promoted Community Dance activities since 2008, and JCDN International Dance In Residence Exchange Project between Finland, Korea, U.S., Australia, Hong Kong since 2011. Sanriku-International Arts Festival is held annually by JCDN in Tohoku, a disaster area severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami since 2014. Now JCDN attempts to start New Dance Project in Japan and overseas, including exchange programs with international organisations. They have received the Japan Foundation's Prize for Global Citizenship in 2006 and Kyoto City Arts Promotion Prize in 2015.
Andrew Burns graduated from the University of Sydney in 2004. Since establishment in 2008, his practice has undertaken residential, cultural, community and public projects. The practice’s approach seeks to combine social engagement with design excellence, and is characterised by precise geometry and material exploration.
In 2011, the practice received first prize in the Australia House design competition for the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale in Japan, selected by Tadao Ando from an international field of 154 entries.
In 2012, the practice was awarded first prize in an invited competition to transform a forgotten pocket at Gibbon's Rent into London's newest park and selected for the inaugural Fugitive Structures project at Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, since installed permanently at Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne.
In 2013 Andrew was a finalist for the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale and received the RAIA National Emerging Architect Prize. In 2014, the practice was shortlisted for the Green Square Aquatic Centre project and received the Jorn Utzon Award for International Architecture for Australia House.
Recently, the practice has received the significant commissions of a new café in Hyde Park Sydney, Cranbrook School’s rural campus in the Wolgan Valley, a series of remote projects in National Parks throughout Australia and a number of large scale multi-residential, education and hotel projects.
Mutable Ecologies - online exhibition and public program
2021 marks 10 years since the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. In this decade Australia and Japan have experienced an increase in extreme environmental events which have impacted on rural and urban ways of life. These events and their relationship to human activity are subject to increasing debate.
Mutable Ecologies considers how innovations in art, design and architecture can interrogate the effects of these changing environmental conditions to offer new insights and awareness of ecological futures. It comprises leading creative practitioners in Australia and Japan delivering a series of online exhibitions, workshops and discussions that explore emerging practices, technologies and interfaces between art, design and architecture to advance global responses to ecological transformations.
The project will connect practitioners, the public and organisations to build on and strengthen existing partnerships to reveal Australia’s strong cultural and economic relationship with Japan and shared values of community engagement, ecological resilience and sustainable futures.
View the exhibition here.
Artists include
Don’t Follow the Wind
Hikaru Fujii
Yoichi Kamimura
Yuko Mohri
Clinton Naina
Yhonnie Scarce
Polly Stanton
Mutable Ecologies Public Program
Join us for the final public forum for Mutable Ecologies.
Wednesday, 24 November – Commencing 2.30pm AEDT / 12.30pm Tokyo
Inhabiting Extremes explores ways artists, designers and scientists are registering and communicating anthropogenic impacts caused by climate change and nuclear testing. The forum includes discussions on the design of Antarctic research stations, rising sea levels, the impact of nuclear testing on traditional owners, science communication, and new ways of measuring urban microclimates. Inhabiting Extremes offers a rich and diverse transcultural insight into places seldom seen or heard, yet central to the health and wellbeing of our planet.
Opening reading and presentation by award-winning Indigenous author and climate activist Tony Birch followed by a conversation with speakers: Miranda Nieboer, Affiliated researcher at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) – University of Tasmania (UTAS); Fumitaka Nishino, Technical Advisor at Morino Project and Vegetation Engineer at Green Elm; Motoko Okumoko, Hokkaido University Communicators in Science and Technology Education Program (CoSTEP); Yoshihiro Nakayama, Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University; and Malte Wagenfeld, School of Design, RMIT University.
Register here.
The tactile and immaterial qualities of woodland habitats: Polly Stanton's Presentation and Discussion with Kohei Fujito and Ruth Langford
Wednesday, 3 November – 1pm-2pm AEDT / 11am-12pm Tokyo
Filmmaker and artist Polly Stanton presents 'Elegy for an Occupied Forest’ discussing how pine plantations present eerie life worlds profoundly shaped and recomposed by the productions of capital. They are vibrant sites that remake the forest into a strange and occupied landscape of human-made modification and disturbance. Following her short talk is a discussion with Ainu artist Kohei Fujito and Song Woman and Story Teller, Yorta Yorta woman Ruth Langford.
Polly Stanton explores these complex forest assemblages through the moving image work Indefinite Terrains (2019), which traces the delicate ecologies and entanglements of the Moonlight Flat Pine Plantation in Dja Dja Wurrung country (Central Victoria, Australia). By recounting the process of working with these spaces, as well as thinking alongside a number of writers and theorists, Polly considers the plantation as an ecotone of submerged histories and indeterminate futures.
Register here.
The tactile and immaterial qualities of woodland habitats: Sarah Teasley's Presentation and Discussion with Rodney Keenan and Kikuko Shoyama
Monday, 25 October – 1pm-2pm AEDT / 11am-12pm Tokyo
Design luminary and social historian, Sarah Teasley on 'Experiencing Woodlands through Science in 1913' followed by a discussion with forest ecologist Rodney Keenan and earth science and disaster resilience researcher Kikuko Shoyama.
In this talk, Sarah Teasley will explore what happened when one local forest in Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan – with its particular and unique climate, species populations, soil, orientation and location, all with their own material affordances – encountered ideas, technologies and materials from further afield. Working from period experimental reports, contemporary plant biology research and fieldwork, Sarah will suggest that attending to the micro-interactions of wood, water and microbes can illuminate both human power relations and – perhaps as importantly – suggest more ethical and accurate ways to live in the world.
Register here.
The tactile and immaterial qualities of woodland habitats: Takashi Kuribayashi in conversation with Bob Brown
Wednesday, 20 October – 1pm-2.30pm AEDT / 11am-12.30pm Tokyo
Join us in conversation with an esteemed Japanese artist Takashi Kuribayashi and renowned environmentalist Bob Brown. The program will commence with a 30-minute artistic presentation for Kuribayashi and an introduction from Brown followed by a reflection and joint discussion on concepts related to thresholds Kuribayashi's statement:
"The truth resides in places that are invisible. Once you are aware that there is a different world out of sight, you will be living in a different way."
Dr Yuki Matsuoka, Head of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Office in Japan, will provide introductory remarks, "Interconnections and the all-of-society engagement enshrined by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction". October 13 is the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction and marks the start of a series of activities and global events over the remainder of 2021.
Register here.
Afternoon Tea with suzueri – live performance and Q & A
Thursday, 23 September – 4pm-5pm AEST / 2pm Tokyo
suzueri will prepare a delicious audio-visual recipe and live-tea party with electronic sweets for 'Mutable Ecologies'. suzueri (Elico Suzuki) is a Tokyo based sound artist and improviser. She presents circuitous and restless performances using pianos and found objects combined with self-made instruments. Her recent interests have centred on exploring the gaps and narrative trajectories between the interaction of instruments and their embodiment.
‘BreadBoard Baking’ is an edible electronic circuit cooking and instrument project run by Tokyo based sound artist Elico Suzuki (suzueri), Emiko Kashiwagi (Emirie) and Naomi Kakuda.
Register here.
Mutable Ecologies is presented by RMIT University and supported by the Australian Government through the Australia-Japan Foundation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Woodland Habitats series is presented by Asialink Arts and RMIT University, supported by CAST Research Group, RMIT University and the Australian Government through the Australia-Japan Foundation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Project Partners: Asialink Arts, Musashino Art University, NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC].
Banner image credit: Yoichi Kamimura, “Internal Weather" (210217_12:23_UTORO), 2021.