Artist residencies for artists from around the globe

Studio Kura 2026

Studio Kura

Of the four main islands of Japan,Kyushu is the furthest south, with Nagasaki to the botto of the island. Studio Kura is about an hour out from the main city of Fukuoka heading West along the top side.

The “Studio” consists of 4 main houses, interesting, they could be named after each of the islands, but for each overseas artists, they simply number them. I lived in Studio 1 with three others, Jude Hobdy, a musician from New York, Adam Wilson, an assembler of recycled precious objects from Wisconsin, and Esther Rzewnicki, a videographer and multi-media artist from Belgium. Joining us two weeks in came Carey Fagan, a chair stacking photographer from Houston. Our interaction has been stimulating, adding observations , ideas, reflection into each others activities.

The fact that we are free to pursue our own needs gives us all the time we need to reflect on the pursuit of deepening our understanding of our passions. I felt at times like a monk, cloistered and completely focussed on the day without due distraction, working from break of day through to night.

L-r: Layla Kramtz from New York, Hiro and Souri Matsuzaki, our hosts.

The other studios house many other artists from around the globe, each here for self-exploration into their specific streams.

Link to Works Part 1

Moon Doogas

Photopainter

Totally don’t get Gen Zeeeee…. (twohands upright, one up one down alternating like juggling oranges) interacting with the local kulcha.

Adam Wilson

Knob box designer + other stuff

Has a plan to make 7 boxes surrounded by knobs, not ordinary knobs and boxes but Edo period wood with ancient inlaid materials and studded with 54 roundish knobs on all sides.

Esther Rzewnicki

Videographic textural manipulator

Esther will video/record anything that is obscure to the lay person and create a journey to the back of your brain, playing with the 4th dimension while balancing on a bicycle.

Jude Hobdy

Organic Musicologist

You will find Jude talking to falcons when not sampling and beating sonoral tatoos into your souls, Oh, she has a banjo which is needing tuning.

Carey Fagan

Chair stacking photographer

This charming dude from Houston has seen too many rocket launches so is inclined to stack chairs up to reach for the skies, then photograph them. We are waiting for a stack in the middle of a rice paddy.

The Houses

House #1

Each of the 4 houses and the Main Office have their own uniqueness, differing in place, size, shape and ambience.

I was in House #1 where generous accomodation gave enough space for work as well as sleeping and storage. The kitchen was large and benefitted the movement of 5 artists. A canal flowed past the home and storks and stingrays met the gaze above which a landscape of fields and low peaks made mists and bright skies feel very much like a Japanese postcard.

An outside studio extended the area in which to work and could provide room to make a mess.

House #2

to the right of the Main Office, down the Tori path and past a Shrine of delightful preservation, a laneway takes you to the heart of the small village where nestled in is the cute House #2. Compact but loaded with character and interesting work spaces. One room even has tatami matting with the traditional sliding doors of perception.