LONGSTAY Program 2018 “THINKING REEDS”｜Two Artists Chosen!!

We are pleased to announce these two artists have been chosen for LONGSTAY Program 2018 in the final judgment.
PARADISE AIR will hold some events; Program Opening Talk, Open Studios, Workshops and Final Reporting in the program period in Sep-Nov. Please keep your eyes on Paradise’s website and SNS!

 

Alicja Rogalska Poland / based in London BIO	Jupiter Brown America / based in Montreal BIO

 

［Message from Juries］

I was happily surprised by the level of the applications for this year’s open call, which was much improved than the previous year. Although the number of applicants decreased this year, we received about 450 applications from different parts of the world, and every proposal showed a very high quality and potentiality. As the theme we set, “THINKING REEDS,” was rather an abstract idea that could be interpreted in any ways, I imagine it must have been difficult for the applicants to come up with a specific plan. The jury also had difficulties choosing the finalists, and we narrowly picked the two in the final screening. Alicja and Jupiter stood out for their attempts to build a multi-faceted and profound thought, which take root both in art and society. I can’t wait to see the chemical reactions that will be initiated by the two artists. What will happen to Matsudo, and what will happen to PARADISE AIR!?

Arata HASEGAWA ( Independent Curator / Guest Curator in PARADISE AIR in 2018 )

 

It was my first time to participate in the final screening to choose two artists from 7 finalists. All the finalists, who were chosen from 449 applications, showed very strong potential indeed, and I believe any of them could have made a strong impact on Matsudo. Above all, the quality of work presented by Alicja was outstanding. This year, the city of Matsudo is organizing our first international art festival which incorporates the latest scientific technology, so I hope she and participants to the festival can interact and stimulate each other. Jupiter on the other hand, was chosen not only by the strength of his work, but by his striking character, which is expected to have a great effect on the city and its people. I am very excited to welcome the two very different types of artists (the contrast between the two is more vivid than last year), and feel very confident that they will make a profound change to the city.

Hiroyuki SHIRAI ( Manager of Culture, Tourism and International Division, Matsudo City )