Over the last few years Tokyo has seen many more artists from different countries living in Tokyo. Part of this change has been due to the emergence of new artist in residence initiatives - not organised by the state or city but from the private/ non profit sector. Surprisingly, Tokyo has had no systematic artist in residence framework. AIT began its residency one year ago (see Camilla Carlsson post below) and Rice + is a residency initiative which has been active in hosting artists and community oriented projects. Rice + occupies two floors of an old wooden former rice shop in the eastern, Mukoujima neighbourhood of Tokyo. It was established by independent curator Emiko Kato and has been developing very interesting community-based projects through its artist workshops and projects as well as through its 1st floor cafe and meeting space.
Currently Dutch artist Hannie van den Bergh is staying at Rice+ and has opened a small exhibition charting her workshops and research in the cafe space. Hannie has been working with maps and map-making techniques, plotting psycho-geographic routes around the Rice+ area with the help of local residents and school children. Hand drawn map coasters, tracings and a visual diary are now on view at Rice+, along with Hannie's research documents. I was reminded of the very personal aspects inherent in creating maps through processes of remembering, linking and tracing. Roland Barthes famously wrote about the un-named and un-rooted urban situation of Tokyo in 'Empire of Signs' (1970).
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