(1) The current state of artist-in-residence programs in Japan

In writing this essay, I would like to begin by looking at the current state of artist-in-residence (AIR) programs in Japan. Based on data on organizations published at AIR_J」[*1] , an online database of AIR programs in Japan I was involved in setting up, I have attempted to show the distribution of AIR programs by their year of establishment in Figure 1, and by prefecture in Figure 2.*1 Though they are both simple graphs, I think they enable us to get a rough idea of trends relating to AIR in Japan. From Figure 1, we can see that since 2020, when the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic that restricted the movement of people around the world was still being felt, the number of AIR programs in Japan has been steadily increasing. Thinking about this result generally, an important question arises, which is despite the interruption caused by the COVID 19 pandemic during which the movement of people was restricted, “Why is the number of AIR increasing?”

Figure 1: Number of AIR programs established in Japan

From Figure 2, we can see that AIR programs are concentrated in Kyoto, Tokyo and Hyogo in that order, but at the same time we can also see that they are distributed throughout nearly all of Japan’s prefectures.

Though it does not have the same momentum that accompanied the rapid increase in the number of cultural facilities in the 1980s, AIR is steadily becoming established in Japan. With that in mind, I would like to look back on the historical and social backgrounds that led to the current state of AIR in Japan.

Figure 2: Number of AIR programs by prefecture

[*1] A bilingual database website that provides comprehensive information on artist-in-residence (AIR) programs in Japan. Initially launched in 2001 by the Japan Foundation (an independent administrative institution), it is currently operated by the Kyoto Art Center. As of January 9, 2025, the database lists 117 AIR programs, of which 114 are based in Japan. Therefore, this analysis focuses on these 114 programs.

(2) Villa Kujoyama as one of the starting points of AIR in Japan

Looking at Figures 1 and 2 above, one can perhaps understand that while there are problems that need to be overcome, AIR has steadily become established in Japan, though the history of its acceptance is by no means long. The AIR system, which as with many art systems including fine art and music developed in the West, began to be introduced to Japan in earnest in the 1980s and mid 1990s, the latter period coinciding with a leveling off in the construction of cultural facilities and buildings such as theaters, art galleries and museums, and art centers, which were criticized as providing only hardware. Experimental AIR ventures by local governments such as the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park (1990) and the ARCUS Plan Pilot Project (1994) were launched, and from around the time the Agency for Cultural Affairs began supporting “artist-in-residence projects” in the form of co-sponsorship with local governments, interest in AIR gradually grew all over Japan.

Meanwhile, the Muratas had already started Youkobo on their own initiative in 1989 and were putting one initiative after another into practice. [*2] In 1992, Institut franco-japonais du Kansai, a French government cultural exchange organization, established Villa Kujoyama and began operating their own AIR program that accepted artists from France. It is said that Villa Kujoyama was established with the aim of becoming the Asian equivalent of Villa Medici. Villa Kujoyama was built in 1992 on the former site of the Institut franco-japonais du Kansai, which was founded in 1927 with the assistance of the Kansai business community by Paul Claudel, the so-called “poet-ambassador” who, as the French Ambassador to Japan, wanted to open a French language school that operated during summer only. [*3] It has since welcomed numerous artists each year as a base for Franco-Japanese exchange where residents can pursue creative activities while familiarizing themselves with Japanese culture and interacting with local people. [*4]

Villa Medici is a French government cultural exchange facility in Rome that for more than 300 years has accepted French artists who have won the Prix de Rome, and is regarded as one of the starting points of AIR. Established by the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1666, the Prix de Rome has also been described as a fellowship, or in other words a dispatch system, with its origins lying in the dispatch of prize winners to Rome, then considered the center of European culture and exchange. AIR can be thought of as a study abroad system in which artists undertake studies overseas, but at the time, large numbers of tourists from all over Europe gathered in Rome, which is also the birthplace of European culture and civilization, turning it into a place where fashion, information, technology, and personal connections converged. Unlike today, people could not just look up anything on the internet, and by staying in Rome, French artists could gather information and build personal connections and networks with people who had gathered not only from around Italy, but also from the rest of Europe, in a different cultural context and environment. They could also receive a lot of stimulation, including artistic inspiration, providing them with the opportunity to grow immensely as artists. I once visited Villa Medici without knowing what it was during a trip to Rome while studying abroad in the UK. Together with a friend who was studying in Rome, I went to a Fragonard exhibition that was held there. I was studying the history of decorative art at the time, so was going around looking at as many of the artworks in Rome as I could, and I still clearly remember wondering why there was a facility introducing French culture right in the middle of Rome without knowing the historical background of Villa Medici. I later looked into the history of Villa Medici, at which point I fully understood it for the first time. I also learned that Jean Honoré Fragonard was one of the artists who was dispatched to Rome after winning the Prix de Rome.*5 In addition to Villa Medici and Villa Kujoyama, another AIR the French government is involved in running is Casa de Velázquez in Madrid.

I think we should perhaps also understand the presence in Kyoto of an AIR facility like Villa Kujoyama in terms of the importance of the position of Japan—and of Kyoto—in the international arts sector. In 2011, the Goethe-Institut, a German international exchange organization, established Villa Kamogawa to facilitate the dispatch of German artists to Japan. Looking at the above graph showing AIR by prefecture, it is clear that there are a large number in and around the city of Kyoto, such as the Kyoto Art Center and ICA Kyoto. Over-tourism has recently become a problem, but because Kyoto has great appeal as a place filled with history and resources related to Japanese art and culture, it attracts many artists. As well, in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of art fairs and international art exhibitions held in Kyoto, so perhaps it is to be expected that a large number of AIR programs are also operated there.

[*2] <https://icakyoto.art/residencies/articles/88911/>　(viewed January 8, 2025)
[*3] Paul Claudel was the younger brother of the sculptor Camille Claudel.
[*4] <https://institutfrancais.jp/kansai/about/history/> (viewed January 8, 2025)
[*5]<https://villamedici.it/en/the-story/> (viewed January 15, 2025)

(3) Information dissemination by AIR_J, an online database of AIR programs in Japan

As outlined above, in the early 1990s, knowledge of the new concept of AIR was gradually spreading within Japan, though when it came to actual examples and information regarding organizations and groups overseas, people were still feeling their way around. At the same time, the Japan Foundation was receiving an increasing number of inquiries concerning AIR in Japan from cultural exchange organizations, the cultural sections of foreign embassies in Tokyo and Japanese local governments. However, the reality was that no one was able to grasp even an outline of the situation. And so in 1993, the Japan Foundation set up an “AIR study group” with Nanjo Fumio as its leader and began looking into the matter. The study group was made up of curators, art management professionals, staff from corporate social responsibility and cultural sections of companies and others, who shared information and opinions on AIR programs in Japan and overseas, and discussed their significance. In parallel with the work of this study group, the Japan Foundation also gathered information on examples of AIR around the world through its overseas offices. The foundation also dispatched members of the study group to conduct on-site studies of major European AIR facilities such as Künstlerhaus Bethanien. I had just begun working for the Japan Foundation at this time, and was immediately put in charge of this dispatching of members of the study group to conduct on-the-spot investigations in Europe. This was my first encounter with AIR. I had to learn about AIR, a system I had not heard of until then, but information concerning the origins, history and examples of AIR was almost non-existent in Japan, and the internet was still in its infancy. Here, too, it was a case of feeling my way around by visiting members of the study group as well as other experts and collecting necessary information. After much effort I at last dispatched a research group to Europe and had them conduct a survey. In 1995, the Japan Foundation published the results of this survey and the work of the study group as Report of the Artist-in-Residence Study Group 1993–95, garnering a huge response. The report was reprinted multiple times, yet demand persisted. This may have been because it was the first report to provide an overview of AIR not just overseas but also in Japan, but it also attests to the high level of interest in AIR at the time.

There was a continuous stream of inquiries from people both in Japan and overseas seeking an overview of AIR in Japan and information on individual programs and groups that might engage in exchanges or accept artists. In response, it was suggested that a bilingual (Japanese and English) online database of AIR programs in Japan be created so that information could be presented not as a printed report, but in a form that could be easily updated and disseminated in Japan and overseas via the internet. Though the budget was limited, after much trial and error regarding such things as the content and design, we were able to launch the first version of AIR_J in 2001. Because at the time there were a lot of small groups operating AIR programs that could not attend to providing information in English, we received many comments to the effect that the database was a great help. In 2019, the responsibility for running AIR_J was transferred to the Kyoto Art Center, but I am extremely glad that it is continuing to grow. As well, on a personal note, the more I have looked into the AIR system as part of this process the more my interest has been aroused, and while I have now become a humble AIR researcher, my interest has yet to wane.

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Kanno Sachiko
AIR Lab Arts Planner/Researcher
After working for the British Council Tokyo and the Japan Foundation, she became an independent an arts planner & researcher. She received MA and Ph.D. in UK cultural policy at the University of Tokyo, Diploma in the history of decorative arts at the University of Glasgow. Her areas of expertise are artist-in-residence, UK cultural policy, and international cultural exchange. Her major publications include an article entitled ‘Globalization of contemporary art: On Artist-in-Residence’ in the book “ Globalization of Cultural Policy“ (Sokei Shobo, 2009) and a co-editor of the book entitled “ Artist in Residence: The Potential to Connect Towns, People and Art” (Bigaku Shuppan, 2023).