First Cohort Departs for New York: Tomo Kihara & Nao Usami

First-cohort creators Nao Usami and Tomo Kihara begin their residency in New York, marking the second phase of the program for the first cohort.

Nao Usami will stay in New York from mid-February to the end of March for approximately one and a half months. During her residency, she will conduct research on feminist art and queer art in New York, explore galleries, communities, and research institutions related to video games and media art.
She will also present an exhibition featuring a new work at a New York City gallery. Alongside the exhibition, she will host a talk event themed around “Cyberfeminism.”

Her newly presented work is a video piece that combines 3D-CG animation and live-action footage. The work depicts, through a psychoanalytic lens, the perspective of a protagonist who has experienced digital sexual harm, including deepfake pornography.

She also plans to hold a workshop in New York City to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8.

Tomo Kihara will stay in New York from mid-February through the end of March for approximately one and a half months. During his residency, he will focus on exploring and researching the diverse possibilities at the intersection of games and art.

He will conduct interviews with practitioners working in experimental game development, give lectures on his own experimental game practices, and organize playtesting sessions. He will also present a lecture as a Visiting Artist at the UCLA Game Lab in Los Angeles.
The results of his research will be compiled and published as a ZINE.

Updates on Usami and Kihara’s research and activities will be shared on this website.