Another Perspective on Art Fairs and Artist Residencies: The Case of BEPPU PROJECT
03 PM, Tues 14 July 2026
COMPLEX 01
No. 29, Lane 31, Alley 167 Tây Sơn, Kim Liên, Hà Nội
Regisration link
From the organizer:
How can a single arts organization successfully run an artist residency, an art fair, and a wide range of local cultural development initiatives for nearly two decades? This talk introduces BEPPU PROJECT, one of Japan’s pioneering contemporary arts organizations, whose practice connects art, local communities, and regional development through artist residencies, art fairs, and international partnerships.
The discussion will focus on three key topics:
– International Collaboration from a Local Perspective: How does BEPPU PROJECT cultivate international artistic networks while remaining deeply rooted in its local context? What opportunities does this model create for Vietnamese artists and cultural organizations?
– KASHIMA Artist-in-Residence: An artist residency in Beppu that places dialogue, research, and engagement with the local community at the heart of the residency experience. Xuân Hạ, who participated in the 2025 edition, will share first-hand insights from the program.
– Art Fair Beppu: An art fair that prioritizes building long-term relationships among artists, curators, collectors, and local communities, rather than focusing solely on commercial transactions.
The session will conclude with an open discussion with the audience, welcoming artists, curators, cultural practitioners, and anyone interested in artist residencies, art fairs, and international cultural collaboration.
Speakers
Nguyễn Tú Hằng – Director of Hanoi Grapevine; Co-founder of AiRViNe (Artist-in-Residence Vietnam Network)
Nguyễn Tú Hằng is the co-founder of the Vietnam Artist Residency Network and the Director of Hanoi Grapevine, a non-profit arts organization dedicated to strengthening the ecosystem that supports artists. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Management from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (Japan) and a Master’s degree in International Commerce and East Asian Studies from Sogang University (South Korea). From 2020 to 2023, she served as Education Curator at the Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA).
In 2024, Hằng was awarded a Fellowship in the Heritage Conservation and Restoration Program at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage (South Korea), as well as the Special Award from the Professional Exchange Program 2024 for Southeast Asian Arts and Cultural Practitioners (Taiwan). In 2025, she received a fellowship from the Japan Foundation’s Asian Cultural Research Program in the field of Visual Arts.
Xuân Hạ – Founder of A Sông; Artist-in-Residence of KASHIMA Residency 2025 (bio ACAM)
Xuân-Hạ is an art worker whose practice spans roles as an artist, producer, and organizer, with a strong commitment to community-oriented engagement. Her recent research explores post-war ecological transformation and the social implications of plant migration.
Working across moving-images, installation, and conceptual forms, she reconfigures personal imaginations into visual narratives that reflect on identity, sense of belonging, and cultural fragility.
Besides working as an artist, Xuân-Hạ also plays an active role in building and expanding the local art community in Vietnam. She is the co-founder of Chaosdowntown Cháo (HCMC, 2015-2019) and more recently, the founder and artistic director of A Sông (Da Nang, 2019- present).
She has been awarded for the International Future Leaders Program 2022-23 by The Australia Council for the Arts, and recently received the Fellows Award: Cultural & Artistic Responses to the Environmental Crisis 2024 (CAREC) by the Prince Claus Fund. Her work has been shown at the M+ Museum (Hong Kong), Schwules Museum (Berlin), National Gallery Singapore, Museum of National Awakening (Indonesia), and across various institutions and art spaces in Germany, Japan, and Vietnam.
Ieiri Kensei – Director of BEPPU PROJECT (Japan)
Born in 1987, Kensei Ieiri graduated from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University. While still a student, he joined BEPPU PROJECT, where he was involved in organizing the international art festival Mixed Bathing World (2009, 2012) as well as artist-in-residence (AIR) programs. In 2013, he became a curator at Arts Maebashi, a public art museum, where he coordinated community-based art projects and AIR programs. Together with artists, he also co-founded and managed Maebashi Works, an art space integrating residences, studios, and galleries. Since 2018, he has worked at BEPPU PROJECT, where he has organized exhibitions including Tetsuya Umeda in Beppu: O tai (2020) and Chiharu Shiota: Circulating Memories (2022). He is also involved in developing AIR programs, supporting the relocation and long-term settlement of artists, and creating artist studios through the renovation of vacant houses. In 2023, together with fellow members, he co-founded and continues to operate Art & Garden NEKOZE, an alternative art space with a garden.
Through organizing exhibitions, artist-in-residence programs, and art fairs, his practice focuses on fostering sustainable environments for artists in regional communities and building platforms that connect local contexts with national and international networks through arts and culture.
The talk will be conducted in English with Vietnamese interpretation.
The program is organized by Artist-in-Residence Vietnam Network and Hanoi Grapevine’s Finest with partner BEPPU PROJECT. The event’s venue was sponsored by COMPLEX 01.
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