The Hara Museum is proud to present Home Again－10 Artists Who Have Experienced Japan. In our globalized world today, active international exchange is occurring in all areas of life, including the world of contemporary art, and the Artist in Residence (AIR) is one concrete way in which it is occurring. Thanks to AIR programs, many artists from different countries have come to Japan to experience the culture and society and to use that experience as inspiration for creative activity.

This exhibition showcases 10 artists from various countries in Asia and the Americas, all former Artists In Residence (AIR) who came to Japan under the sponsorship of the Backers Foundation and the NPO Arts Initiative Tokyo [AIT] between the years 2007 and 2011. During their three-month residencies, they discovered new motifs related to the country, exhibited work that they made in Tokyo and then returned home. For this exhibition, they have been invited to come back to Japan to show us the changes and developments that have occurred in their expression during their time away. Furthermore, by presenting the results at a museum, we are able to look into the present state of a cutting-edge AIR program.

Since its founding in 1979, the Hara Museum has placed great weight on international exchange in contemporary art. This exhibition, which continues that tradition, will present selected works created by these artists during their residencies or after their return to their home countries. As the state of international affairs undergo major changes, more and more artists from non-Western, developing or newly developed nations are making an appearance in the international art scene. This fact is underscored by the prominent place given to artists from Middle Eastern countries at dOCUMENTA 13, the large-scale art fair currently being held in Germany. In light of these trends, this exhibition featuring artists from Asia and Central and South America takes on a deep significance.

What was the experience of Japan for these artists, each from a different cultural sphere, with different language, religion and customs? Of particular interest is whether traces of their experience can be discerned in the work that they have done afterwards. Though marked by differences in background, work pattern, style of art, and choice of medium ‐ ranging from painting, drawing and installation to photography and sculpture - these artists, as a group, represent the great variety of expression that is special to the world of contemporary art today.

For them, Japan was not ″home,″ but a chance to reconfirm the meaning of ″home,″ an opportunity to go beyond cultural boundaries, to reach for something approaching co-existence. As a former private residence and the venue of this exhibition, the Hara Museum provides a virtual home for that co-existence.

* Artwork (L): Syagini Ratnawulan L.S. 2011  photograph  57.2 x 150.3 cm