European Residency Applications 2026

After two decades of building an exhibition practice across Korea and Japan, Kim Dooha is turning his gaze toward Europe. Beginning in early 2026, he has submitted applications to several artist residency programmes, each chosen for its resonance with his artistic concerns — diaspora, materiality, and the threshold between presence and disappearance.

Why Europe?

Kim's work has always existed at the intersection of cultures. As a Korean artist based in Japan, his perspective carries a dual foreignness that finds particular relevance in Europe's contemporary art discourse around migration, identity, and belonging. Institutions like Fotografiska (Stockholm), the Hasselblad Foundation (Gothenburg), and Foam (Amsterdam) represent the kind of critical engagement his work invites.

Current Applications

Residency applications currently in progress include programmes in Estonia, Greece, Finland, Poland, and Slovenia. Each proposal is tailored to the host institution's focus — from archival photography at the Estonian National Museum to diaspora narratives at Magic Carpets — while maintaining Kim's core artistic methodology of projective non-retouching: investing the overlooked with dignity without altering what is found.

The Broader Vision

This European chapter is not a departure but an expansion. The gallery relationships in Osaka and Tokyo remain active, and 2025 exhibitions are confirmed at Ueda Gallery and KAZE ART PLANNING. Europe represents a new axis — one where Kim's unique position as an Asian artist exploring disappearance and materiality through photography and installation can find fresh context and new audiences.

Updates on residency outcomes and exhibition announcements will be shared here as they develop.