Artist in Residence Program
at the Kumonodaira
Mountain Hut
Artist in Residence Program
at the Kumonodaira Mountain Hut
Participants of the Kumonodaira Mountain Hut Artist in Residence Program 2026 Announced
We are pleased to announce the selected artists for the "Kumonodaira Mountain Hut Artist in Residence Program 2026."
This year marks the seventh year of the program. We received applications from 87 artists, and after careful review, selected 9 artists from diverse fields—including painting, music, dance, photography, and installation.
The program is an initiative that aims to design harmony between society and the natural environment through art. It was launched in spring 2020 to create opportunities for artists to explore new expressions while being inspired by pristine natural ecosystems.
In this endeavor, rather than staging short-term impact as an event, we place the greatest importance on nurturing the sensibilities that develop as people and the land continue to engage with one another over time, centered on Kumonodaira, and on cultivating the relationships that emerge as diverse sensibilities inspire one another.
As diverse perspectives on "nature" intersect, our gaze toward the world gradually opens.
At a time when changes in social structures and living environments, driven by the rapid development and spread of AI, are manifesting as great chaos, we hope this program can help us encounter the world anew through our own physical bodies and contribute to new discoveries about how we might rebuild our relationship with the "nature" beneath our feet.
An exhibition of the program's outcomes is planned for next spring at GASBON METABOLISM.
We hope you will continue to follow the program with interest.
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Lina MachidaBorn in 1997 in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture.
As of 2026, she is based in Tokyo and Yokohama (ACY Fellowship).
She regards the shame and stumbles that accompany an inability to do things well as the "northernmost reaches of physicality," and explores how they manifest. In particular, she looks closely at involuntary bodily reactions—such as sneezing caused by bright light, stuttering, or hands turning pale and numb—as well as the delays and discrepancies that arise between the body and its environment. Working primarily in animation and video, she gives form to the state of things before clumsiness or deviation is erased.
Major exhibitions include "Being Alone" (HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Goethe-Institut / Berlin / 2026). Her works have been shown at exhibitions and film festivals in Japan and abroad, in more than 20 countries.
Links:
machidalina.com
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Shin ARAKISaxophonist and composer.
Has released albums including "PRAYER" and "A SONG BOOK."
He has contributed to recordings, live performances, and composition and arrangement for artists and ensembles including Aimyon, Sonoko Ito, Exile, Chemistry, Miu Sakamoto, Sawako, Shingo Sekiguchi, and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.
His activities cross genres, from collaborations with fashion shows, butoh, photography, and ceramics to producing a reed organ album.
In recent years, his approach of using effects pedals with the saxophone has received international acclaim, and he became the first Japanese artist officially endorsed by the Belgian manufacturer DroloFX.
Links:
arakishin.com
Butoh x Saxophone & Pedals / Yumi Sagara + Shin Araki "Acciaccatura"
Butoh & Saxophone / Yumi Sagara + Shin Araki
Piano & Saxophone with Effects Pedals
support surface ss2026 collection (archive39)
support surface FW2023/24 collection (archive 35)
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mumukoA visual artist and photographer working across photography, video, installation, and spatial experience.
Having wandered through more than 80 countries, Mumuko translates the truths of social structures into visual and physical experiences.
Active in advertising and commercial fields, including a global GUCCI campaign and main visuals for films. Awards include the Newcomer's Award from the Japan Photographic Society and the Grand Prix of Canon SHINES. Works are held in the public collections of the China National Art Museum of Ethnic Groups, the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts, and the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum.
Published the photobook "DREAMLESS" (Genkosha, 2022). In 2024, exhibited at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum in "It’s war, so let’s marry" Active internationally, including at Paris Photo.
In recent years, Mumuko has been exploring new forms of expression at the intersection of society and technology, with themes of human perception and an "affirmation of non-action" in the age of AI.
Links:
www.mumuko.com
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Mina KatsukiBorn in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1989; raised in both the Philippines and Japan.
Completed the graduate program in Painting (Artistic Expression) at Kyoto University of Art and Design in 2016.
Her interest in Japanese abstract painting grew out of a longing for Japanese culture while living in the Philippines.
She now works with "paint" as her central subject, following a self-imposed rule of mixing 375 shades of blue and completing each piece through the minimal act of a single stroke (One stroke).
In recent years, she has participated in Art Basel Hong Kong and Kiaf Seoul, and held solo exhibitions including "From one stroke" at Yumiko Chiba Associates (Tokyo) in 2023 and "From one stroke" at WINWIN ART (Taiwan) in 2019. Her work is held in numerous corporate collections, including that of DMG MORI Co., Ltd.
Photo by Kenryou Gu Courtesy of Yumiko Chiba Associates -
Miyu OgawaActress, dancer, and musician.
She has been active as a dancer since junior high school and later turned to acting.
She made her film debut in "She's Gone" (2018), and has since appeared in numerous films and television dramas. In 2026, she appears in "Love on Trial" (directed by Koji Fukada), which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival.
Since 2023, she has also pursued music, performing live and composing for films. She has released three albums to date; her latest, "Tulsi," was released in 2025.
In recent years, her dance practice has focused on creating contemporary dance works and improvised performances with musicians.
With acting, dance, and music as her three pillars, she engages in a wide range of creative expression.
Links:
Miyu Ogawa / 小川未祐 | one shot one story
MiyuOgawa - cafune（Official Music Video）
MiyuOgawa - lasnalo（Official Music Video）
linkco
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Taiga HagiodaBorn in the United States in 1998; raised in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Graduated from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Creative Science and Engineering, Waseda University in 2021.
Starting from paper drawing, he works across architecture, furniture, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, theater, logo design, and other fields. While traveling to various places, he collects and researches locally sourced materials, exploring how hometowns, landscapes, and communities take shape in the contemporary world.
His hands-on practices have included contributing to the construction of Arimasu Tonbiru, charcoal burning, renovating traditional houses, traveling nationwide to sell plywood, and running "The Green House", a creative production base. Since 2025, he has been based on Okinawa's main island, developing new work informed by the region's climate and cultural context.
Selected for the 8th Saburo Miyamoto Memorial Drawing Grand Prize Exhibition in 2023.
Links:
taigahagioda.myportfolio.com
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Hiroki NiimiBorn in 1985 in Aichi Prefecture, Hiroki Niimi is an artist currently based in Tokyo and Aichi.
After graduating from Tama Art University in 2014, he began his personal artistic practice while working as an art director in advertising and other creative fields.
Drawing on his interest in American Minimalism and Conceptual Art as formative experiences, Niimi brings that engagement into dialogue with his commercial identity as a graphic designer and art director. In exploring the relationship between artist and viewer, he attempts a transformation of art history from an intensely market-driven perspective.
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Joh MorishitaBorn in Ehime Prefecture in 2000, raised in Kanagawa Prefecture.
What divides people. What cuts through light and shadow.
He throws himself into the midst of layered dilemmas and the chaotic swirl of competing forces, looking ahead with his own feet and gaze. At the same time, this is also a process of ruminating on questions burned into him through many encounters and partings, and of accepting the inescapable complexes and fragility within himself.
Days spent touching the soil, drawing mountain water, and coming into direct contact with life. Then looking up at the sky and knowing that he was truly connected to the world.
Beginning with a roughly four-month journey across the Eurasian continent, he moves back and forth between science and art, seeking a balance: expression grounded in research and factuality, yet not limited to mere documentation or explanation.
Links:
Joh Morishita HP
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Kei IyamaBorn in Iwate Prefecture in 2001.
While exploring corporeality and the environment, he creates and presents works in a variety of forms, beginning with painting and using materials that best suit each project.
Interested in cave paintings and wondering what intentions lay behind them, he built a small hut-like space resembling a cave environment. He painted inside it, then unfolded the hut to view the interior. Struck by the richness of the marks he saw and by how the hut had become a large painting, he has continued the series under the title "House."
Among recent works is "Paintings: Painted near the Ceiling" series: while making the "House" works, he came to appreciate the colors and lines that remained near the ceiling, and built a tall easel reaching that height to paint while stretching upward.
He wishes to continue reflecting on the rich relationships that people, together with their creative works—including painting—have built within their environments.
