APPLICATION GUIDELINES
The Island Is Not a Site
Ishigaki Island, Japan
MA Umi Assembly #1 is a new curated residency, co-organised with *Pelin Tan.
Next Fall 26, MA Umi Residencies wll invite 8 artists and researchers to take part in a new residency format on Ishigaki Island, unfolding across the newly built Green Rabbit and Pink Turtle House.
Rather than producing pre-defined projects, selected participants will engage in shared inquiry, observation, discussion, and making—exploring how knowledge and practive emerge through place, encounter, and duration.
Participants may work through writing, drawing, photography, performance, mapping, listening, or other research-based practices. These processes will feed into a collective publication and other communicable formats.
The Assembly also functions as a laboratory for a portable exhibition format—one that can be reactivated elsewhere, carrying questions, methods, and ways of working rather than site-specific content.
We welcome applicants whose practices evolve through collective engagement, curiosity, and attention to context, and who are interested in how shared time and dialogue shape research and making.
*Pelin Tan is a sociologist/art historian/film director based in Mardin and is currently a Professor in the Fine Arts Faculty of Batman University, Turkey.
Applicants are invited to submit:
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Letter of intention (max. 1,000 words)
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Short bio (150 words)
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Selected portfolio (PDF or link)
Sbmissions are accepted in either English or Japanese
Deadline April 1st - Announcement End of April/Early May
SELECTION COMMITTEE
EXPECTATION
MA Umi Residencies is not results-driven. Residents have a possibility to present their work though an exhibition, a performance, a workshop or lead a similar event during their stay. The minimum requirement is a public presentation of their past research work and residency reflexion to the local community.
We also encourage intercultural collaborations with our network of local partners and contacts, as appropriate to each resident’s particular interests.
ELIGIBILITY
Professionals and students are invited to apply. We are open to a wide range of disciplines, such as: architecture, geography, geology, oceanography, etc and all art mediums including drawing, installation, painting, printmaking, sculpture, sound, film, writing, culinary, wearables, etc. Artists of all nationalities are welcome, however, artists will be responsible for obtaining their own visa (with a supporting letter from us). Duo are welcome. Applicants must be over the age of twenty one and have previous work available for review in a digital format (see above).
SCHEDULE
Residencies are short term and operate as a seed. In time a new community of residents is created and encouraged to be back to the island for future projects.
AUGUST 15th, 2025 - Open Call LAUNCH
SEPTEMBER 15th, 2025 - End of Open Call (11:59 PM GMT)
Early OCTOBER 2025 - Announcement by email of the result for the 3 selected residents
Applicants can choose the following residency period - TUESDAY // TUESDAY
In either MARCH / APRIL 2026
FEES AND SUPPORT
Application fee 9500 JPY (about 55 USD/ 55 EUR).
The entry fee guarantees participation, but it does not guarantee selection.
If not selected for this round, applicants will receive a waiver code to apply for the next period in Spring 2026
The non-refundable application fee is due at the time of submitting a completed application is only accepted online via the APPLY button.
Fees related to transport to Ishigaki, visa processes or passport acquisition are the responsibility of the awarded residents.
We also recommend residents to apply for extra funding and have a viable health, travel and liability insurance.
Ma Umi Residencies will provide the necessary documents to apply for funding or scholarship.
Our accounts are certfied by Tohbaru Yohkoh Tax Accounting Office, Ishigaki, Japan
APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS
MA Umi Residencies will confirm receipt of the submitted application. Each will be reviewed by a panel of professionals, such as curators, academics, and/or critics (see selection committee). The application review process consists of an online review followed by an on-site panel meeting with a rotating member of the committee The review process takes 2 weeks from the application deadline. Notifications to all applicants will be sent via email after the selection committee panel has made its final decision.
LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL ADVISORS
Yuko Kanda
Co-founder of Shanti Garden (Nosoko, Ishigaki)
Tatsuhiro Rodoriguez Sato
Artist and co-founder of Mauna Kekai with Rumi Sato (Nosoko, Ishigaki)
Jaimey Hamilton Faris
Curator, Associate Professor of Contemporary Art History and Critical Theory at the University of Hawai'i, Mānoa.
Mara Sartore
Co-founder and director of Lightboxgroup, editor in chief of My Art Guides (Venice, Italy)