On September 11, 2026, the Mori Contemporary Art Foundation (MoriCAF) announced the open call for the Curator Residency Program 2027, inviting applications from curators residing outside Japan with links to Japanese contemporary art. The application deadline is October 31, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. Japan Standard Time.
The program enables curators based outside Japan to undertake research on artists and contemporary art in Japan, along with providing opportunities to visit museums and galleries and engage with artists and other art professionals across the country. Through research and exchange, the program aims to deepen understanding of Japanese contemporary art, foster international networks, and encourage new exhibitions, research, and collaborations, and so contribute to the further international dissemination of Japanese contemporary art.
Applicants must be curators residing outside Japan with at least five years of professional experience in the field of contemporary art curation, with no restrictions on age or nationality, and three to four residents will be selected. Residencies will last one to three months (max. 90 days) between April 2027 and March 2028. Participants are selected by an International Jury comprising directors of museums from around the world, which for 2027 includes several new members.
The inaugural Curator Residency Program 2026 selected four participants: Imaseki Yurika (independent curator and researcher, and research assistant at Mudam Luxembourg), Philippe Pirotte (professor of art history at the Städelschule, Frankfurt, and independent curator), Shinoda Yayoi (associate curator of Japanese art at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art), and Maria Brewinska (formerly of Zachęta – National Gallery of Art in Warsaw). Since February 2026, the participants have been arriving in Japan on a rolling basis, conducting studio visits with artists and undertaking research at museums and galleries across the country, and Brewinska is scheduled to travel to Japan in January 2027.
International Jury (2027) *In alphabetical order, except for the Chair
Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath (Directors, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart)
Christophe Cherix (Director, The Museum of Modern Art, New York)
Laurent Le Bon (President, Centre Pompidou)
Suhanya Raffel (Museum Director, M+)
Eugene Tan (Director, National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum)
Kataoka Mami (Director, Mori Art Museum) *Chair
MoriCAF Curator Residency Program 2027
Eligibility: Curators residing outside Japan with at least five years of professional experience in the field of contemporary art curation (no restrictions on age or nationality)
Number of Residents: 3–4
Residency Period: 1–3 months (max. 90 days) between April 2027 and March 2028
Application Deadline: October 31, 2026, 6:00 p.m. (JST)
https://mori-caf.jp/en-information/