Announcement of Selected Artists – AKIYA AIR 2025
We are pleased to officially announce the selected participants for the 2025 edition of the AKIYA AIR (Artist in Residence) Programme in Yunotsu, Shimane Prefecture, Japan.
Following a highly competitive and thoughtful selection process, we are honoured to welcome the following artists:
Anne Fehres & Luke Conroy
Anne and Luke are a multidisciplinary artist duo returning to Japan nearly a decade after first meeting on Naoshima. In Yunotsu, they will develop a new chapter of their ongoing project News From Home, an evolving series that blends field research, photography, and community storytelling. Their residency will center on working with locals and craftspeople through workshops and interviews, exploring Yunotsu’s architecture, materials, and daily life. Aligned with AKIYA AIR’s values of cultural revitalisation and co-creation, their work seeks to create a lasting visual narrative that celebrates the Iwami region’s unique spirit.
Gemma Wilson
Gemma is a Dutch artist and printmaker whose work draws on mythological motifs to reflect on contemporary social and political issues. Her practice combines a deep conceptual engagement with strong technical craftsmanship, influenced by both European and Japanese printmaking traditions, while exploring new approaches within traditional graphic techniques.
During her residency at AKIYA AIR in Yunotsu, she will create a series of woodblock prints inspired by the myth of Susanoo and the Yamata-no-Orochi. Influenced by the local Iwami Kagura performances, she aims to reinterpret this living mythology through her distinctive visual language.
Alongside her studio work, Gemma has led community-based projects and performative interactions in public spaces across Japan, focusing on urban development, sustainability, and cultural exchange—key themes that also resonate with the spirit of the AKIYA AIR programme.
