Weaving Our Words: Migrant Artist Parent Gathering

Participatory workshop by Mei Homma & Yukiko Nagakura
(in English)

In this workshop, we would like to explore the question:

How can migrant artists who are also parents continue creating, sustaining their careers, and maintaining their artistic identities despite the challenges they face?

Through collaborative making alongside children, we aim to weave our words in order to demonstrate possible ways of balancing artistic practice and parenting, while creating a space for dialogue, reflection, and mutual support. We are also interested in the everyday complexities of multicultural family life — such as navigating multiple languages and cultural identities within and outside the home — and how these experiences shape both parenting and artistic practice.

First Step | Gathering Our Voices

We will share personal experiences and challenges as migrant artist parents. Together, we will reflect on where these difficulties may stem from, such as:

-> Social / Institutional Expectations

-> Gender Bias and Care Roles

-> Cultural / Migratory Background and Multicultural Family Life (languages, customs, food, communication, etc.)

Second Step | Making a Rope Together

Participants will write their thoughts and voices onto a large piece of fabric together.

-> Tear or cut the fabric into thin strips

-> Twist the strips by hand into ropes

(Yukiko will demonstrate the rope-making process)

-> Transform the ropes into objects

Finally, we will gather to reflect on the process and share our thoughts.

Workshop Timeline

13:00 – Introduction

13:10–13:50 – Discussion and writing words onto fabric

13:50–14:20 – Tearing the fabric into strips

14:20–15:00 – Rope making

15:00–15:45 – Knotting /weaving with the ropes

15:45–16:00 – Wrap-up and reflection

Background

Japanese artist Mei Homma and Yukiko Nagakura are members of “Artist Parent’s Voice” and continue to engage in research, conversation, and collective action around the experiences of artist parents in Japan. Since both artists are based outside their home country, they are also interested in how migration, language, and cultural differences shape artistic and family life.

“Artist Parent’s Voice” began as a volunteer-led initiative to translate How Not To Exclude Artist Parents: Some Guidelines for Institutions and Residencies, a guideline developed collaboratively by UK-based art critic Hettie Judah and artist mothers.

Recognizing that the challenges surrounding parenting differ across cultures and social environments, the project focuses on listening to the voices of artist parents in Japan and reflecting on the specific realities they face. Through sharing experiences and concerns that have often remained unspoken, the initiative aims to foster more open dialogue and create more inclusive cultural spaces.

Mei Homma
Born in Tokyo in 1985, Mei Homma graduated from Joshibi University of Art and Design in 2009 and received her MA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts in 2011. Based in Indonesia and Japan, Homma explores themes of feminism and gender, particularly Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), which advocates for women’s autonomy over their own bodies, as well as gender roles within households. Through research-based practices, she works across video, photography, installation, and embroidery. Her solo exhibitions include Women Were Gatherers? at gallery MoMo Projects in Tokyo (2025). She also collaborates with the Bandung-based Lokus Foundation through its art and science workshops for children.

Yukiko Nagakura
Berlin-based Japanese artist working with video, sculpture, photography, and installation. She earned her MA in Art in Raumstrategien from the Weißensee School of Art Berlin in 2017. Her work explores the marginalization of women in contemporary society and examines the social, historical, and cultural forces behind it. In recent years, she has focused on projects that connect people, communities, and memories. Through writing, workshops, and exhibitions, she creates spaces where personal experiences intersect and acquire new meaning. Her recent exhibitions include a group exhibition at Galerie der Künstler*innen in Munich (2024) and a solo exhibition at Oyoun｜Kultur NeuDenken in Berlin (2023).