Toma House AIR is an artist-in-residence and art space located in an 18th-century former residence of a Shinto priestly family serving at the nearby Kasuga Taisha Shrine in Nara City, Japan.

In 2017, the house was on the verge of collapse after years of vacancy. It was brought back from the brink through a series of restoration efforts with support from government funding, crowdfunding, and community collaboration. This seemingly ongoing state of restoration continues; therefore, we call this contemporary art initiative Toma Unrestored. Since the commencement of restoration in 2017, we have curated exhibitions, hosted artist residencies, and organized workshops within this living restoration site.

Toma House AIR/Toma Unrestored is run by a team from Japan and Taiwan dedicated to revitalizing historical spaces through art and innovation. We aim to promote contemporary art and introduce traditional Japanese crafts to an international audience.

[Artist-in-residence]
In addition to our regular artist-in-residence programs and the Mokuhanga Residency in collaboration with MI-LAB, 2 new residency programs dedicated to traditional Japanese craft techniques will launch from autumn in 2025:
• Kintsugi Residency
• Hyogu – The Art of Paper Mounting and Framing Residency
These 2 programs are supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan.

[Location]
The neighborhood borders a primeval forest and Nara Park. Museums and 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites are within walking distance of the residency. As the former capital of Japan, Nara is rich in history and artisan crafts. Other cultural centers, such as Kyoto and Osaka, are accessible within 45 minutes by train.

[Artists]
Since 2018, Toma House AIR has hosted a number of artists as resident artist or exhibiting artist, including Masashi Hiura (Japan, oil painting), Michael Carapatian (UK, architecture and photography), Yukawa-Nakayasu (Japan, mixed media), MuSuHi (Japan, contemporary art collective), EXCALIBUR (Japan, contemporary art collective, WEB 3 and mixed media), Robbin Deyo (Canada, Mokuhanga Residency), Junli Song (USA, Mokuhanga Residency), Rory Menage (UK, sculpture and printmaking), Goro Ishihata (Web 3 and contemporary art), Clementine Nuttall (UK, kintsugi, conservation and urushi art), Sybilla Patrizia (Austria, filmmaking and photography), Andrzej Rudz (Poland, cinematography), Yuya Morimoto (Japan/USA, filmmaking), and Douglas Diaz (USA, mixed media).

Sourced from: Toma House AIR
Edited by: Brix