ACC Japan Foundation is pleased to hold "ACC Grantees’ Voices – Fellowship Experiences Shared by Grantees," a talk event in which ACC grantees share insights and experiences gained through their long-term stays and research abroad.

For this event, we will welcome two curators as speakers: Souya Handa (ACC 2024), who conducted his fellowship in the United States, and Haruko Kumakura (ACC 2025), who carried out her fellowship in Indonesia. They will talk about their activities, cross-cultural experiences, and the changes in perspective and awareness that emerged through their time abroad.

The session will also include a moderated discussion led by Meruro Washida (Director, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa / Associate Professor, Graduate School of Tokyo University of the Arts), who served on the ACC Japan Selection Panel.

In addition, an introduction to ACC’s grant programs will be provided. A networking session will follow the talk.

We hope this event will offer new perspectives and practical insights for artists and researchers who wish to seize international opportunities.

 

We look forward to welcoming you.


Event Details

Title: ACC Grantees’ Voices — Fellowship Experiences Shared by Grantees
Date & Time: June 30, 2026 (Tue) 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM (Doors open at 5:30 PM)
Venue: WHAT CAFE (2-1-11 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo)
https://cafe.warehouseofart.org/

Speakers:
Souya HANDA (2024 ACC Grantee)
Haruko KUMAKURA (2025 ACC Grantee)
Moderator:
Meruro Washida (ACC Japan Selection Panel, 2024 & 2025)

Language: Japanese
Admission: Free
Who it’s for: Those interested in ACC’s grant programs or considering applying
Capacity: 100 participants (advance registration required, first-come, first-served)

A networking session will be held at the same venue following the approximately 1.5-hour talk.

Organizer: Asian Cultural Council Japan Foundation

Registration:
Please access the application form via the URL below or the QR Code and submit the required information.
*Application Deadline: June 15, 2026 (Mon) 5:00 PM
https://forms.gle/BFKDHSV9yE8jnq2p6
*Please submit one registration form per participant.

Event information (in Japanese) is available for download here.

 

Speakers & Moderator Profiles

Souya HANDA
ACC Grantee 2024 (New York Fellowship／6 months in the United States)
Handa presents works that explore the intersections of technology and society as well as his Asian/Japanese identity. He also works as an independent curator, organizing exhibitions on themes such as gender, urban planning, and the history of Japan and nuclear power. Recent curatorial projects include Take it home, for (__) shall not repeat the error. [Manhattan Project] (apexart, New York). Selected exhibitions include Concrete Lives (Yotsuya Ekimae Building 5F, Tokyo), (Don’t) Keep It (Art ka Bifun ka Haku-chu, Tokyo), and Take it Home, for (__) Shall Not Repeat the Error. (Sogo Hiroshima, Hiroshima). He completed an MFA in Intermedia Art at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2019 and a Master of Arts and Sciences in Information Studies at the University of Tokyo in 2023.

Haruko KUMAKURA
ACC Grantee 2024 (Individual Fellowship／3 months in Indonesia)
Independent curator and writer. From 2011 to 2024, Kumakura served as a curator at the Mori Art Museum, organizing exhibitions including Roppongi Crossing 2019: Connexions (2019), Listen to the Sound of the Earth Turning: Our Wellbeing Since the Pandemic (2022), and World Classroom: Contemporary Art through School Subjects (2023). Through exhibitions and projects such as SUNSHOWER (2017) and the MAM Research series, she conducted research on Southeast Asian contemporary art, focusing on both art history and ongoing practices. She is currently involved in international research projects, contributes to exhibition catalogs and art journals, and engages in educational activities.

Meruro Washida
Moderator 
Former ACC Japan Selection Panel Member (2024, 2025)
Director, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa / Associate Professor, Graduate School of Tokyo University of the Arts
Completed the Master’s Program in Art History at the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo in 1998. Served as a curator at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa from 1999 to 2018. Curator of the Japanese Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale (2017). Curator of the Aichi Triennale 2019. Director of the Towada Art Center from 2020 to 2025. Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Global Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, since 2023. Author of Curator’s Notes 2007–2020 (Bigaku Shuppan, 2020). Board member of the Japanese Council of Art Museums; council member of the Yayoi Kusama Memorial Art Foundation; member of the Japan Foundation’s International Exhibition Committee; and board member of the Mori Art Museum.