Arts Initiative Tokyo (AIT) is a non-profit arts organisation established in Tokyo in 2001. Since its inauguration, AIT has facilitated the educational programme MAD (Making Art Different), whose aim is to reach out to the general public to stimulate cultural dialogue in the field of contemporary art and the current society.

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In recent years, the key concepts discussed in the programme have centred around holism and well-being, and climate crisis concerning global environment, while various lectures observe wider contexts and circumstances relating for instance to art brut, spirituality, meditation in art, alternative education for the younger generation, and care in the community. In parallel, the residency programme invites artists, curators and practitioners whose work and fields of study and pedagogy are interdisciplinary, and it primarily encourages their artistic/curatorial research with links to expanding networks in the Japanese art scene. With the contribution of its guests’ artistic expression and professional knowledge, AIT aspires to incorporate shared concerns emerging from different programmes into a sublimated experience and collaborative involvement. 

The accommodation of the artists takes place in a private one bedroom -apartment, hosted by AIT.

AIT työskentelytila. Kuva: Yukiko Koshima
A working space in AIT. Pic: Yukiko Koshima
Ympäristöä AIT-residenssin lähistöllä. Kuva: Johanna Ruohonen
Energetic cityscape in Tokyo. Pic: Johanna Ruohonen