AIR NETWORK MEETING Vol.3 @ Osaka-Kansai Expo Convention
Dates: Saturday, May 24 – Sunday, May 25, 2025
Venue (Day 1): Event Space, Netherlands Pavilion (within the Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai site)
Additional Excursion Site (Day 2): Cultural facilities and creative hubs repurposed from vacant spaces in the Kitakagaya area, centered around the former Namura Shipyard
Organized by: AIR Network Japan
Co-organized by: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands / Joshibi University of Art and Design
In cooperation with: TRA-TRAVEL / Chishima Foundation for Creative Osaka
Format: Hybrid (in-person + online). Excursion is in-person only.
DAY 1 | Sat 24 May | Event Space, Netherlands Pavilion (within the Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai site)
Opening Remarks
Hisashi Shibata | Organizer / President, AIR Network Japan / Representative, NPO S-AIR)
Rob Anderson | Co-Organizer / Minister Plenipotentiary, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Welcome Speech & Explanation about the pavilion
Aino Jansen|Deputy Commissioner General, The Netherlands Pavillion
AiR – “My thoughts on Artist in Residence”
Christianne Mattijssen | Director of Heritage and Arts, Deputy Director-General for Culture and Media, Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Part I | AIR and International Networks
This session highlights international AIR networks that foster sustainable platforms for artistic exchange across borders. We will explore case studies from both organizational and artist perspectives.
Current Practices in International AIR Networks - An overview of DutchCulture | TransArtists and AiR NL (Netherlands)
Speaker: Heidi Vogels, Coordinator, DutchCulture | TransArtists
Moderator: Mami Odai, AIR Director, Sapporo Tenjinyama Art Studio
Part II | Diversifying AIRs and Sustainable Organizational Models
As AIR programs continue to diversify, new approaches are emerging—such as artist-led collectives, cross-organizational collaborations, and university-driven initiatives that support emerging artists. This session spotlights pioneering AIR practices in the Osaka–Kansai region and beyond.
Moderator: Shoko Nishida | Program Director, Kyoto Art Center
Presentations:
1. Artist-led Art Hubs | TRA-TRAVEL (Osaka)
Qenji Yoshida, Artist | Co-founder, TRA-TRAVEL
2. Collaborative Studios by Artist Initiatives | Yamanaka Suplex (Kyoto & Shiga)
Takuya Tsutsumi | Co-program Director, Curator, Yamanaka Suplex
3. Connecting Artists and the City | Artist in Residence KOBE (Kobe)
Mari Matsushita, Representative, Artist in Residence KOBE
4. University-based AIR Models and the Y-AIR Concept: JOSHIBI AIR (Tokyo)
Makiko Tsuji, Program Officer, JOSHIBI AIR, Joshibi University of Art and Design
MC: Kensei Ieiri (Director, BEPPU PROJECT)
DAY2 | Excursion | Kitakagaya area, the former Namura Shipyard
Excursion: “Creative Reuse of Vacant Spaces in Kitakagaya”
Cooperation: TRA-TRAVEL / Chishima Foundation for Creative Osaka
Explore how artists and cultural practitioners have transformed vacant properties and lots throughout the Kitakagaya area into creative hubs, studios, and community spaces:
Morimura@Museum (M@M)
MEGA ART STORAGE KITAKAGAYA (MASK)
Creative Center Osaka (CCO)
Super Studio Kitakagaya (SSK)