Japanese artist, Izumi Kato and Fundación Casa Wabi are pleased to announce the first open-call 6 weeks residency prize for two young Japanese artists (ages 20 to 40) interested in cultural cross-pollination and wishing to enter a dialogue with the communities around Casa Wabi in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico.
This prize was established with Kato’s hope that Japanese young creators in all genres such as fine art, design, music etc. would experience the residency program at Fundación Casa Wabi. Kato is a longtime friend of Mexican artist, Bosco Sodi who’s the founder of Fundación Casa Wabi and has been respecting that their own residency programs have been giving creative freedom to creative talents in the world over the years.
This year’s judges are Mizuki Takahashi, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile, and Dakin Hart, Artistic Director of Fundación Casa Wabi.
DETAILS
When and where should I submit my application?
Applications will be open from August 30, 2024, until September 27, 2024. You can submit your application through THIS LINK. Applications must be submitted in English.
Who can apply?
The prize is open to Japanese creators based in Japan, aged 20 to 40, who have skills to communicate in English. We don’t accept duo / group applications.
What does the prize include?
* Round trip coach class ticket from Japan to Mexico City and Mexico City to Puerto Escondido. (Artists are responsible for traveler’s insurance and transportation to an airport in Japan.)
* Lodging, studio space, and three meals per day. Each residence offers a comfortable private bedroom with a bathroom for one person. (Friends and family are not permitted.)
* Support for the community project.
* Please note that the artist’s production costs for their own work are not included in the prize.
* All reimbursements related to the prize will be made through Fundación Casa Wabi.
What are the requirements for the residency?
We have no productivity requirements. But all residents are asked to produce a piece that reflects their stay, in the format of their choosing, to become part of Fundación Casa Wabi’s collection.
Artists are also required to follow Fundación Casa Wabi’s rules and regulations during their residency terms.
What is the required community project?
Every Casa Wabi resident is asked to develop, lead, and complete a collaborative project in one of the communities around Puerto Escondido. Casa Wabi staff work with every resident in advance to refine and rework their proposals to make sure that they are of mutual interest and benefit. Successful projects generally grow organically out of the artist’s own work; do not include using community members as labor; are not production oriented (i.e. do not result in public artworks); and are not one-directional workshops or lectures. The hope is that our residents will form a mutually beneficial relationship in one of our local communities, in which knowledge flows in both directions and two ways of thinking have a chance to come together. Past projects have covered an incredibly wide range of activities. You can browse through them here.
The community project should be carried out and finished within the period of the residency.
Are there any Japanese-speaking staff or assistants on site?
No. Creators should communicate in English or Spanish throughout the residency program.
When will the residency be?
Winners will be allocated to one of these sessions in 2025:
Session 2: 24 February–4 April
Session 3: 24 April–3 June
Session 5: 7 August–17 September
Session 6: 22 September–31 October
Session 7: 5 November–16 December
The specific period will be agreed between the winners and Fundación Casa Wabi.
What is the application deadline?
The deadline for receipt of applications is September 27th , 2024.
What form should my application take?
Your application must be submitted through THIS LINK.
How will the winners be chosen?
Winners will be evaluated on the overall quality of their work, their resonance with Casa Wabi’s ethos, and the potential of their proposed community project proposal.
When will I hear back?
The two winners will be notified by October 11th, 2024 and their names published online at casawabi.org by October 14th , 2024.
Where can I find information about past residency programs?
Details of past programs can be found here.
JUDGES
Takahashi Mizuki
Takahashi Mizuki is the current Executive Director and Chief Curator of Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile in Hong Kong. She completed MA History of Art from both Waseda University, Tokyo and The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. After serving as a founding curatorial member at Mori Art Museum in Tokyo from 1999-2003, Takahashi worked as senior curator at Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito and realized numerous transdisciplinary exhibitions addressing various artistic forms including manga, film, fashion, architecture, performance and contemporary art. Takahashi was a research fellow at Central Saint Martins, The University of the Arts London from 2015 to 2016. She curates, writes and gives lectures extensively in Asia and Europe.
Dakin Hart
Dakin Hart is Artistic Director for Fundación Casa Wabi (México City and Puerto Escondido, Mexico and Tokyo, Japan). Between 2013 and 2023, he served as Senior Curator at The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum (New York, NY, USA), where he oversaw the Museum’s exhibitions, collections, catalogue raisonné, archives, and public programming—and had the daily good fortune to collaborate with Isamu Noguchi in absentia. His other previous positions include Assistant Director at the Nasher Sculpture Center (Dallas, TX, USA), Artistic Director and Director of Artists in Residence at Montalvo Center for the Arts (Saratoga, CA, USA), and Assistant to the Director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA, USA). He has also worked as an independent writer and curator.
