TERATOSEA is a new international art project started by TERATOTERA, which invites up-and-coming young artists active in Southeast Asian countries to Japan and provides support for residencies, artwork production and presentation of works. SEA is an acronym for Southeast Asia, and the project will connect TERATOTERA and Southeast Asia with art.

If you open a world map, Southeast Asian countries and Japan are very close to each other in terms of distance; and it is a region with many countries that have deep-seated ties to Japan not only economically but also historically. However it cannot be said that in modern Japan there are many opportunities to encounter the people who live there or sample the cultures of the region. TERATOSEA is an attempt to invite artists from the near-yet-far region of Southeast Asia to Japan and promote a deeper understanding of each other’s history and culture through not only art production but also everyday life.

As the first phase of the project, Thai artist Thawiphat Praengoen (aka Yhod) will hold an exhibition, “Brackish Tomorrow,” of works based on the history of friendship between Japan and Thailand. In the 1960s, Emperor Akihito who was then Crown Prince as well as an amateur ichthyologist, learned that Thailand was suffering food shortages and presented the King of Thailand with a fish called tilapia. As a result, farmed tilapia is now widely eaten across Southeast Asia. Yhod will present works based on this episode. Additionally on the last day of the exhibition there will be a talk with guest Yasuhito Asami, whose research interest focuses on the socioeconomics and politics of Southeast Asia, especially Thailand. Please feel free to take part.