Tokyo Arts and Space: 'Walking Barefoot' TOKAS Residency 2026 Exhibition Phase 1 Opens June 27

Tokyo Arts and Space (TOKAS) continuously supports the activities of artists in a phased manner through open call exhibitions, planned exhibitions, and overseas dispatch programs. Since 2006, it has been running the 'Creator-in-Residence' program, providing opportunities for artists working in various fields to create in Tokyo and at overseas dispatch destinations.

The first phase of the residency program exhibition 'Walking Barefoot', starting on Saturday, June 27, will feature works by a total of seven artists. Sharing the theme 'Technology and the Human Form', Anaïs Karenin, Alexia Achilleos, Eduardo Castillo-Vinuesa, and NOGAMI Katsuki, who undertook residency productions at TOKAS, will exhibit. In addition, IKEZOE Shun (who stayed in Brussels), INOUE Takuya (who stayed in Quebec), and MURAKAMI Kaoru (who stayed in Basel) will also showcase their works.

Exhibition Overview Dates: Saturday, June 27, 2026 - Sunday, August 2, 2026 Venue: Tokyo Arts and Space Hongo (2-4-16 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo) Closed: Mondays (open on July 20), July 21 Organizer: Tokyo Arts and Space (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture) Website: https://www.tokyoartsandspace.jp/archive/exhibition/2026/20260627-7557.html

Related Events (No reservation required / Free) [Artist Talk 1] *With consecutive Japanese-English interpretation Date/Time: Sunday, June 28, 2026, 16:00 - 18:00 Speakers: Anaïs Karenin, Alexia Achilleos, INOUE Takuya, Eduardo Castillo-Vinuesa, NOGAMI Katsuki [Artist Talk 2] *Japanese only Date/Time: Saturday, July 4, 2026, 16:00 - 17:00 Speakers: IKEZOE Shun, MURAKAMI Kaoru

About the Exhibition In the society we live in, values and thoughts are often defined by the groups we belong to. Like wearing shoes, this protects us and makes it easier to walk, but at the same time, it creates a certain distance from the world. The artists participating in this exhibition, while exploring their respective themes, intentionally or inevitably take off those shoes and reach out to the world barefoot.

From their practices dealing with social relationships, a perspective emerges that seeks to temporarily remove attributes and roles and return to the individual. For example, by resonating with the thoughts of someone who existed in a different time or place, or by gazing closely at a part of the body, they encounter others on a horizon distinct from 'who' or 'where' they are.

On the other hand, society's shoes are useless when confronting things other than human beings. Humans have formed groups and fostered societies to survive the threats of nature. Still, when facing nature, we have no choice but to stand as barefoot creatures with a single body and senses.

In this way, they voluntarily or inevitably step away from social premises, taking on vulnerability to close the distance with the world. Just as walking barefoot on grass or rocks makes one realize the richness of texture and the delicacy of the skin, they are re-establishing a relationship with the world using their own real feelings as clues. Each of their steps will likely manifest in this exhibition as well.

Participating Artists / Biographies - Theme Project: 'Technology and the Human Form' Anaïs Karenin: Born in Brazil in 1993. Researches pre-colonial knowledge systems and re-examines the relationship between humans and plants using sensory methodologies. Alexia Achilleos: Born in Stockholm in 1985. Explores the relationship between history, culture, geopolitics, and the power structures surrounding technology. Eduardo Castillo-Vinuesa: Born in Granada (Spain) in 1989. Focuses on the intersection of climate, technology, and geopolitics, researching Japan's 'Moonshot Goal 8'. NOGAMI Katsuki: Born in Niigata in 1992. Pursues online/offline physicality and identity in digital society. - Bilateral Exchange Program IKEZOE Shun: Born in Kagawa in 1988. Collects stories and memories of individuals often overlooked by society and reconstructs them into universal narratives. (Stayed in Brussels) INOUE Takuya: Born in Okayama in 1993. Creates paintings with the theme of 'universality' based on landscapes and people encountered while traveling. (Stayed in Quebec) MURAKAMI Kaoru: Born in Tokyo. (Stayed in Basel)