“TOUCH JAPAN” was established as a contact point in April 2022, following the onset of the crisis in Ukraine, by a volunteer group from PARADISE AIR (Chiba), Sapporo Tenjinyama Art Studio (Hokkaido), Aomori Public University Aomori Contemporary Art Centre (Aomori), and AIR_J (Kyoto). In solidarity with the aims of #ResidenciesWithoutBorders, an international mutual support network for artist-in-residence communities, we sought ways from within Japan’s artist-in-residency (AIR) field to offer support and create points of connection for artists whose freedom to create and travel has been severely restricted by conflict and social upheaval.

In response to inquiries submitted primarily through a Google Form, we have provided consultations—albeit on a modest scale—by assessing individual circumstances, sharing information about possibilities for staying and producing work in Japan, introducing existing AIR programs and options for independent stays, and connecting individuals with relevant institutions as needed. Since the form was made public, we have received 313 inquiries from 80 countries and regions.

#ResidenciesWithoutBorders

In any other time in histories, travels for creative pursuits have been severely interrupted by borders. The experience of this world embodying loss of lives and lifestyles has been causing our hearts to suffer from agony and indignation in Japan.

We continue to provide spaces for everybody lives as well as for artmaking, both undisturbed, to artists and other art workers, holding ourselves together despite any international conflicts or effects of any warfare.

We are the Artist-in-Residence organizations and organizers, with other individuals concerned with them, all having taken part in such a discussion and publicly supporting the aforementioned opinion in Japan amid the fluctuation of the global climate.

We are open to listening to artists and art workers who demonstrate their request in Japan, to their consultation, sharing information, and hearing suggestions along the way, committed to support around one’s stay in any ways we can, including the proposition of residencies.

ResidenciesWithoutBorders supporters
April 2022

At the same time, through our practices over the past few years, we have come to feel strongly that an initiative positioned merely as a point of contact or a framework cannot adequately respond to such international crises. Each artist’s circumstances differ significantly, and the required support and engagement are highly specific. For this reason, we have decided to bring our outreach, form management, and consultations under the “TOUCH JAPAN” name to a close at this point. This decision does not mean our concern regarding conflict or unjust conditions has diminished. Rather, we intend to shift toward a more concrete approach, engaging through individual communication and dialogue on a case-by-case basis.

Going forward, for artists who require a connection with Japan for production, residency, or research—as well as the organizers and supporters consulting on their behalf—we plan to respond through direct contact rather than a consolidated framework. Depending on the circumstances and timing, we may not always be able to meet your requests; nevertheless, we remain committed to listening carefully to each individual’s voice. We also hope that our connections with AIR facilities and programs in Japan, as well as with individuals who share the #ResidenciesWithoutBorders philosophy and wish to be involved in their own ways, will continue as a looser, more flexible network. The public form will close, but the intention of solidarity itself will not be lost.

In an era of deepening uncertainty and division, what role can AIR play? The answer to that question is surely neither singular nor fixed. We hope that the experiences and dialogues accumulated through the “TOUCH JAPAN” initiative will, in some form, inform the future practices and decisions made across our respective sites.

If you wish to explore opportunities for an independent stay, research, or artistic production in Japan in the future, please directly contact the organizations listed below, as well as other artist-in-residence facilities, programs, or independent organizers, according to your specific situation.

・PARADISE AIR　
・Sapporo Tenjinyama Art Studio 
・Aomori Contemporary Art Centre 
・AIR_J 
・Arts Initiative Tokyo 
・Oishida AIR 
・SEIUNKAN AIR