MURA MASARU | Art Walk 09 - Autumn of Art Festivals (Part 1)
This article reviews the thriving art festivals across Japan in autumn, focusing on the Setouchi Triennale and Aichi Triennale to explore the significance of these events.Summary
This article, the first part of Mura Masaru's 'Art Walk' series, examines the autumn season of art festivals across Japan, noting their resurgence despite the pandemic's impact. Nearly 20 festivals are currently active nationwide, a number that continues to grow. The author visited eight of them. The review begins with a detailed account of the large-scale Setouchi Triennale, covering visits to Shodoshima, Megijima, Ogijima, Takamijima, Honjima, and Utazu. Many works at the Setouchi Triennale are site-specific, utilizing local resources like unique culture, products, and vacant houses, suggesting that art festivals function as a means to revitalize local areas through artistic engagement with regional assets. The article then covers the Aichi Triennale, where the theme set by Artistic Director Foor Al Qasimi, 'Between Ashes and Roses,' addressed pressing global issues like war and environmental destruction. The author reports on exhibitions at the Aichi Arts Center and in Seto City, noting that the utilization of local resources, particularly ceramics in Seto, was also evident here.
(Source：artscape)