Islands of creativity
Setouchi Triennale, a largescale outdoor art festival held across a dozen of Japan’s islands, will offer art lovers a more than 100-day cultural journey, which spans three seasons and comprises various art events starting from April 26.
The contemporary-art festival, which is held every three years, was established in 2010 to revitalize islands in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea that have suffered from depopulation and aging communities for years.
Artists and architects are invited to produce works on 12 islands and in two coastal cities. They often transform abandoned old houses into art installations or display their work in outdoor areas that enjoy beautiful scenery, such as established Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s iconic yellow pumpkin, which sits on a wharf and has become a landmark on the island of Naoshima. It regularly attracts visitors who go to take photos with it.
The Setouchi Triennale 2019 will display 184 artworks by established artists and art groups from about 30 nations and regions, including some Chinese artists.
The news conference unveiling details of the coming triennial was held in Beijing recently, demonstrating the importance the festival places on Chinese visitors, who accounted for a significant number of those who attended last year’s Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale — the world’s largest art festival that spans 200 villages in northwestern Japan’s mountainous area. Both art festivals were founded to revitalize areas facing the problem of depopulation.
Kitagawa Furamu, founder of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and director of the Setouchi Triennale, says that art is used as a creative tool to help revive the economy and cultural confidence in these areas.
“I invite artists to integrate local elements into their work. I hope it can help rebuild locals’ confidence in their hometowns and villages, which are not inferior to cities,” says Furamu.
The islands in the area have seen many young people move to big cities to find jobs and settle down. Only older people stay and, as a result, the economy declines.
However, when the art festival was held in 2010, tourists from home and abroad filled the islands to enjoy the various museums designed by well-known architects, work produced by famous artists from across the world and star-studded live performances.
For the coming triennial in 2019, according to Furamu, the number of volunteers for the art festival is already more than 10,000.
“Art is on the surface. Through it, people interact with local culture, history and even food,” adds Furamu.
Chinese installation artist Lin Tianmiao agrees. She transformed an old house on Ogijima island into an installation by using more than 1,000 everyday items that were left in the house by its owner, such as a notebook, pill boxes, a harpoon and sticks from a curling iron.
“The house owner cried when he saw my installation. It was like a revival of his family’s memory. I was also moved by my work. It enables visitors to imagine the changes of both a Japanese family over several decades and also of the society in which they live,” says Lin.
A site-specific work for an art festival like the Setouchi Triennale requires the artists to learn and do research about the local community, the culture and the history, Lin says. That, she says, is an efficient method to know the people there.
Chinese musician and artist Zhu Zheqin, who’s also known by her stage name, Dadawa, and Xiang Yang, an installation artist, will take part in the next year’s triennial.
Zhu draws inspiration from various sounds from Shodoshima island and will produce a bell house. She will also write a song for Setouchi and develop a special app bringing together all the information needed to visit the island.
Artist Xiang Yang will produce a three-floor wooden boat named
— made from discarded materials and old furniture — where he will invite other artists to display their work.
The triennial will span three seasons: The spring session from April 26 to May 26, the summer session from July 19 to Aug 25 and the autumn session from Sept 28 to Nov 4.
Visitors can also enjoy a considerable number of museums and permanent art installations from previous festivals that are scattered throughout the 12 islands. Dramas, dances and performances involving local people will also be staged.
After the end of the festival, the art installations will remain and a series of regular art events will continue to take place in the area for visitors.
“It’s not just a 100-day festival. Art events go on during all the three years between each triennial,” says Furamu.