Artist in Residence, Stockholm 2 March 2026–24 May 2026

Tsu-tsu is a documentary actor currently based in Yamanashi Prefecture. His practice is guided by ‘tsu-tsu’ (筒). ‘Tsu-tsu’ means ‘hollow’ or ‘cavity’ in Japanese, but derived from his childhood training in Japanese ritual dance, he defines this sensation as a ‘vessel’ of personality common to all humans, one that has been stripped of the attributes formed by words and stereotypes. He reinterprets the act of performance as a ‘centrifuge-like device’ that reveals this vessel. Tsu-tsu has named his series of interviewing and performing as real individuals ‘documentary acting,’ a practice that pursues the very process of ‘one person becoming another’ as its medium.

Photo: Kohey Kanno

Tsu-tsu

His work explores what it means to“be with others” in a time shaped by crisis and a sense of ending. Focusing on the complex lives of individuals who are often left out of major public narratives. This is evident in a work where he embodies the everyday life of Toshio Akagi, a government official who died by suicide in connection with the Moritomo Gakuen scandal.

Separately, since 2022, he founded and co-operates ‘6okken’, an artist-run residence in Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi. The project uses six houses for shared living and residence, aiming to restore a ‘sense of possibility’ through communal life and holistic exchange.

During his IASPIS residency, Tsu-tsu will explore the potential of his “tsu-tsu” concept in a cross-cultural setting, seeking elements shared across humanity. By engaging with people from different backgrounds, he aims to further develop the methodology and ethics of his performance practice. His ongoing project, Back-flow to the junction, involves finding, meeting, and performing as individuals around the world who share his exact date of birth, exploring the contingency of life, unexpected connections across distance, and the tension between isolation and solidarity within diversity.

Tsu-tsu graduated from the Department of Management, Faculty of Economics at Gakushuin University in 2019. Since 2022, he has been the co-director of the artist-run residence ‘6okken’ (Yamanashi). His major solo exhibitions include 01-25-1997, KUMA Foundation Gallery, Tokyo (2024); On the Land, Towada Art Center space, Aomori (2023); and Servant of the Whole, ANB Tokyo (2022). He has participated in group exhibitions and performances such as FUJI TEXTILE WEEK 2023 (2023), and Habitat / Halle E, TQW Halle E, Austria (2019). Since 2019, he has been developing the international project Back-flow to the junction in cities including London and New York. His awards include being selected for Forbes Japan 30 Under 30 (2023), the 28th CGC Grand Prize in the Art Division (2023), and the Yamanashi Media Arts Award’s Prefectural Prize (2024). His publications include the catalog for the Tsu-tsu: On the Land exhibition at the Towada Art Center (2024).

Instagram @tsu_tu_