Contemporary artists are a product of a globally minded world. While artists of past ages have had clear goals of making it in London, Paris or New York, artists of the 21st century seek stimulation from any number of locations across the planet. All they need is a passport, a place to stay, and ideally some funding. "Home Again: 10 Artists Who Have Experienced Japan", curated by Atsuo Yasuda, is the current exhibition at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, and it features works by 10 such artists who made their way to Tokyo.
These artists all took part in the residency program of the nonprofit organization Arts Initiative Tokyo (AIT), supported by the Backers Foundation of Japan. AIT began Tokyo's first recurring residency program eight years ago. The organization was founded in 2001 by six arts workers as a reaction to what they observed as Tokyo's lack of spaces in which people could think about, learn and discuss art. Through the residency program, artists from across the globe have been able to experience life in Japan. Moreover, they had the chance to become involved in the local scene and ultimately to show their work in the Hara museum, one of Tokyo's most sought-after venues for contemporary art.
The exhibition displays a wide variety of media and thankfully, the works avoid cliche — there are no paintings of geisha or sumo wrestlers or Pokemon. Instead, each artist shows a response to their Tokyo stays in personal styles.