Veronika Beringer
As part of FREE AWAY.
Hi, こんにちは, 🗻♨️💦
After my first night in Fujiyoshida at Saruya AiR, I woke up to an amazing view of Mt. Fuji. It was surreal, and the jet lag was also hitting hard, so it took me some time to realise that this dramatic scenery was, in fact, real. Sometimes it felt like Mt. Fuji really liked to rest a lot, spending most of the time hidden in her bed of clouds. Therefore, it always felt special to see her full beauty. The other artists and I would sometimes joke about our fear of missing out on Fuji, texting each other to go up to the roof whenever the mountain was visible.
During my three-month stay abroad in Japan, I had the opportunity to take part in two different artist-in-residence programmes. I spent the first half in Fujiyoshida, at the foot of Mt. Fuji with, Saruya AiR, where I started my research and field study on Japanese bathing culture on the one hand and was able to create my first artistic works in a local ceramics workshop on the other. After my stay in Fujiyoshida, I travelled for 10 days via Tokyo, Nagano, Kyoto, Naoshima and Hiroshima to Fukuoka. During this trip, I had the chance to visit various baths, art festivals and museums. In the second half, I took part in the artist-in-residence programme at Studio Kura near Fukuoka. There, I worked on another project, which I was able to exhibit at the end as part of an intervention in bathrooms and an exhibition space at Studio Kura.
Receiving the Free Away grant provided me with the perfect opportunity to work on my project about Japanese bathing culture and water. I was able to discover many beautiful baths and meet so many amazing people. One of my highlights was seeing “I Love Yu” – a mixture of a contemporary art installation and public Japanese public bathhouse – by the artist Otake Shinro in Naoshima.
| 1. | My stay in one word: |
| humid | |
| 2. | Dos & don’ts in this place: |
| Do: wash yourself a lot before going into an Onsen Don’t: wear perfume |
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| 3. | Things I miss since I am no longer there: |
| Cheap and tasty Onigiri Onsen and Sento Baths Cute designs in public spaces |
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| 4. | Where to shop great supplies: |
| Sekaido in Tokyo, Hands in Fukuoka | |
| 5. | What you should definitely bring with you from home: |
| An empty suitcase | |
| 6. | Concerning art at this destination and where I visited the best exhibitions: |
| Naoshima & Northern Alps Art Festival | |
| 7. | Around the studio – where I shop, drink my coffee and get the best lunch deal in walking distance: |
| Fabcafe in Fujiyoshida, Tsukiusagi in Itoshima | |
| 8. | Where I like to spend the evening (dinner, drinks, best sound and networking opportunity): |
| Kihachi-So in Fukuyoshi has a wonderful small Onsen with a view of the ocean and an amazing restaurant. | |
| 9. | What would have been useful to know before coming here and starting my residency: |
| There’s a sewing machine at Saruya AiR |
Website resident: vibia.at