Back from Japan
We took twenty artists to the Aichi Triennale as part of the Biennale Voucher. Goal is to enable artist to expand their international network and to boost their international position by encouraging their presence at important international events like that of the Aichi Triennale in Nagoya Japan.
The Dutch Embassy in Tokyo was of great help in setting up a program that took us and the voucher artists to several interesting institutions, from the Mori Art Museum to the National Art Center Tokyo.
The Aichi Triennale, curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, was a feast. It has two mayor locations; The Aichi Art center in Nagoya and the Aichi Perfectural Ceramic Museum in Seto, as well as several small ones in the center of Seto. Oh and yes, we sang karaoke as well.
We left our artist to network by themselves and visited the three artists in residencies the Mondriaan Fund currently offers in Japan. Villa Kamogawa in Kyoto, Arts Initiative Tokyo in Tokyo and the very famous Arita ceramic residency in Arita.
Arita is part of the Perfecture of Saga, home to many other craft based settlements. We got a crash course of washi-paper production (not as easy as it seems), in preparation of a new artist in residency to be launched in 2026.
We got blessed in the Dazaifu Tenmangu temple, a place where worship meets contemporary arts, we visited a kimono textile factory, a miso factory, a furniture company and the Design East Fair in Osaka.
Lastly we were lucky to be granted a VIP visit to the World Expo, where 2 to 300.000 visitors a day fill the areas between the different pavilions and sustainability is often both the common theme as the common problem.
It was wonderful to experience how important the Mondriaan Fund is considered in Japan. It was a marvellous trip with endless impressions but mostly I am grateful for all worthwhile conversations we were granted with so many beautiful people.
And a big thank you to @valckxbas and his colleagues from the Dutch embassy in Japan.
One of the nicest books to have received this year. Riso print is really the best. 京都精華大学（KSU）とユトレヒト芸術大学（HKU）の学生の共同プロジエクトでできた本。
オランダ語に由来する35の日本語のリストからスタート。日常的に使われるものもあれば、ほとんど忘れられているものも含まれていた。各生徒は1つの単語を視覚的に翻訳した。オランダの学生たちは、2色を重ねたデザインで、日本語の文字を使用する方法を模索。日本の学生たちは、先に印刷されたオランダの学生作品を見てイラストや写真を2色重ねて表現した。リソプリントはやっぱり最高。
@inedition_
Next stop was Yokota Town in Oku-izumo, Shimane Prefecture to visit the ‘hometown’ of the temple guardians that are now in Asia Pavilion of the Rijksmuseum. They used to be in a gate on a mountain path leading up to the temple complex of Iwayaji which with over 1000 years of tradition unfortunately fell into disarray this last 50 years. The guardians crossed my path in 2012 when I helped the Rijks to arrange a Buddhist ceremony to welcome them in the museum. This ceremony with monks from Daikakuji in Kyoto was held in October 2013. From 2015 (and ongoing) artist Jikke van Loon is bringing them home through her art work and activities with the community. 次の目的地は、島根県奥出雲の横田町。現在アムステルダム国立美術館のアジア館にある仁王像の「故郷」を訪ねた。二体の仁王像はかつて、1000年以上の伝統を持つ岩屋寺の群に続く山道の門にいましたが、残念ながらこの50年間で荒廃してしまった。仁王像と出会ったのは2012年、アムステルダム国立美術館で彼らを正式に迎えるための開眼供養の準備を手伝ったときだった。供養は京都の大覚寺の僧侶たちの協力を得て2013年10月に無事に行われた。2015年からオランダのアーティストJikke van Loonが地元の方々と一緒になって仁王像たちにまつわる活動を展開している。
First time to visit YCAM in Yamaguchi City. To see Wendelien an Oldenborgh’s solo “Dance Floor as Study Room”, but also to meet the amazing team of people working there. Thank you @leonbarto and Sayaka Mitome for the warm welcome and tour! 山口情報芸術センターで開催中、オランダの
現代美術を代表するアーティスト、ウェンデ
リン・ファン・オルデンボルフの新作を発表する展
覧会「Dance Floor as Study Room ̶したたかに
たゆたう」を見るため、初めての山口市へ。
新堀会の仲間たちと、6年ぶりに開催された出世の石段祭りに参加しました。Participated in the festival of Atago-jinja near my home and workplace. Climax is climbing the steep stone stairs with the portable shrine….but very dangerous. Did it but won’t do it again.
