View of the shared studio at Tokyo Arts and Space Residency. Photo credit: NAKAGAWA Shu
Tokyo Arts and Space is one of Japan’s leading institutions dedicated to supporting contemporary art through residency programs, exhibitions, international partnerships, and the Tokyo Contemporary Art Award.
In this interview, Yuki Kondo, Program Director of Tokyo Arts and Space, discusses the institution's mission, its position in Japan's art ecosystem, and how public cultural institutions can support artists throughout their careers.
What motivated you to take on the role of Program Director of Tokyo Arts and Space?
Yuki Kondo: I think one of the main reasons was my interest in how artist-in-residence programs function in Japan. Many are established and run by local governments, and are closely tied to community engagement, education, and revitalization. In contrast to other countries where residencies are often led by private initiatives, Japanese programs are largely publicly funded, which creates a strong expectation that they give back to citizens. I found this structure interesting, but I had always approached artist-in-residence programs primarily from an artistic perspective, believing in their potential to support artists at critical stages of their careers by enabling experimentation, risk-taking, and free creative practice. However, since in Tokyo there is no need for artist-in-residence programs to support local communities or educational purposes, these responsibilities fall to other institutions. Tokyo Arts and Space (TOKAS) is able to focus on supporting artists’ practices and helping them develop their careers. Exploring these possibilities was one reason I decided to make the move.
