Anna DAVIS

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Anna DAVIS

Participating Project	Curator Residency Program
Activity Base	Sydney
City / Place stayed	Tokyo
Period	2026.1 - 2026.3

Purpose of the residency

The purpose of this residency is to investigate the distinctive artistic practices of Yuko Mohri, Muneteru Ujino and Akane Saijo, whose works feature complex systems of energetic objects, invisible forces, and improvising machines. Tokyo, with its rich history of technological innovation and experimental art practices, provides an ideal context for this curatorial research. The city offers access to a wealth of galleries, exhibitions, technology labs, and archives, enabling comprehensive research into the artists' work and its historical and cultural significance. In addition to interactions with the artists, two of whom are based in Tokyo, the residency will involve connecting with local curators and theorists who have exhibited or studied their work. This will provide diverse perspectives and deeper insights into the artists' methodologies and thematic concerns. Engaging with Tokyo's vibrant art scene, visiting art and technology institutions, and meeting with emerging artists will facilitate the exploration of cross-disciplinary connections between experimental sound, media art, and robotics. Conducting this research in Tokyo will deepen my understanding of the evolving relationships between human and nonhuman entities in contemporary art.           

Plan during the residency

• Conduct studio visits and interviews with Yuko Mohri, Muneteru Ujino and Akane Saijo to gain deeper insights into their art practices
• Visit museums, galleries and art-technology institutions and laboratories in Tokyo that have featured the artists’ works and related projects in experimental sound, media art and robotics
• Connect with curators and theorists who have worked with the artists and meet with emerging practitioners
• Document research findings through notes, photos and recordings
• Analyze research findings, spending time writing on the artists' works and developing a theoretical framework for essay in forthcoming publication
• Prepare and deliver a public talk to share preliminary findings with the local art community, fostering dialogue and feedback

Activities during the residency

During her residency, Davis conducted many studio visits and interviews, investigating how contemporary artists engage with and reimagine nonhuman intelligence. As part of her research, she created a series of botanical mind maps tracing connections between current artistic practices and broader historical, philosophical and scientific contexts. These visual research tools explore how art can offer new frameworks for thinking, sensing and living with the many nonhuman intelligences that surround us - from animals, plants and fungi to robots and artificial minds.

Outcome of the residency

The TOKAS residency exceeded my expectations as a period of intensive research and relationship-building. Through studio visits, interviews, institutional meetings and artwork viewings, I developed a rich body of research into Japanese contemporary art practices engaging with nonhuman intelligence and intertwining ecology and technology. Key encounters included studio visits and interviews with artists Akane Saijo, Lieko Shiga, UJINO and Ueda Maki. The experience of encountering Ueda Maki's Olfacto-Politics installation at Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome, and Todo Takayuki's Dog on a Leash, robotic performance at Tokyo Node – also significantly deepened and redirected my thinking in ways that could not have been anticipated before my arrival. Research outcomes will be developed into a curatorial presentation at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia in 2026, with the potential for future exhibition projects and ongoing collaborations with several of the artists, curators and researchers I met during the residency.

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This project is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

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