New Resident Artist at Künstler:innenhaus Bremen: Yoriko Seto

Yoriko Seto, born in 1975 in Fukuoka, Japan, and a 2024 graduate of Fine Arts under Prof. Heike Kati Barath at the University of the Arts (HfK) Bremen, has been named the recipient of the Bremen Studio Scholarship. Seto’s diverse artistic practice spans drawings, artist books, animated films, and interactive objects. In November 2024, she showcased her work in an exhibition at Bremen’s State Representation for Europe in Brussels, which remains on display there until the end of the year.

The selection of Yoriko Seto was made by an external expert jury advising the Senator for Culture. The jury’s reasoning reads as follows: “Through her drawing practice, Yoriko Seto explores and deepens the dimensions of memory. Her work captivated the jury with its pared-down yet highly concentrated formal language, where a poetic, melancholic sensitivity to the nuances of human existence shines alongside a touch of ironic wit. Remarkably, both her drawings and her animated films assert their presence in the space, surprising us with new, intimate forms of presentation.”

The Bremen Studio Scholarship, established in 2017 and awarded annually, provides emerging artists with a vital foundation for launching their professional careers. It includes rent-free use of a studio at Künstler:innenhaus Bremen, financial support for materials, and guidance from the artistic director and external curators. The programme aims to help graduates like Yoriko Seto establish a network and solidify their artistic practice locally.

Yoriko Seto: “I’m looking forward to meeting the people at Künstler:innenhaus. And it’s the first time I’ll have such a large workspace all to myself.”

Her final presentation, offering insights into the artistic development achieved during the scholarship, will take place in December 2025.