Last year saw a whole host of art festivals take place across Japan, from the headlining Setouchi Triennale to newcomers like the Saitama Triennale and Kenpoku Art up in Ibaraki. In fact, there were so many artsy celebrations going on that it became difficult to keep track of which artists were exhibiting where.
Art fans can look forward to a similarly packed lineup in 2017, with the Yokohama Triennale making a grand comeback and the Japan Alps Art Festival, set to be held between June 4 and July 30, gearing up for its inaugural edition. The force behind this newcomer is Fram Kitagawa, an experienced festival director and head of the Art Front Gallery in Daikanyama. Here's our quick preview of what to look out for in Nagano's Omachi City this summer.
Tomoko Fuse: Mugen-ori ni yoru karesansui (Japanese garden with unlimited folding)
Taking over a rural bit of northwestern Nagano prefecture, the festival will be accessible in 50 minutes by JR Oito line train from Matsumoto Station to Shinano-Omachi Station, or by taking the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Nagano Station (80min) and then riding a direct express bus for an hour. OK, hardly close to Tokyo, but with express trains and buses running from Shinjuku to Matsumoto, it's definitely doable as a weekend getaway.
Tadashi Kawamata artwork
But is it really worth heading out into the boonies just to see a bit of art, you ask? To paraphrase a cliché, we'd say it's not just about the art, but the journey as well. As is the case at most of the nation's major art festivals, the scenery at Japan Alps is sure to plays its own role: Omachi sits at the foothills of the Japanese Alps, with mountains over 3,000m high towering all around you.
Beautiful mountains and lakes, onsen villages and traditional towns aside, one permanent exhibit you'll really want to see is the Kurobe dam. There are actually multiple dams dotted along the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route near Omachi, known as the 'gateway town' to this passageway. Spectacularly, the festival organisers are planning to use the main one as a stage for some of the artworks – which ones, and in what form, is yet to be revealed.
Sizzle Ohtaka with Takayuki Fujimoto: Under the Camphor Tree, Tokushima LED Art Festival 2013
What about the lineup, then? Well, director Kitagawa has used his extensive network to round up some of the top domestic names, including Tadashi Kawamata, Toshikatsu Endo, up-and-coming artist collective 'Me', and Oscar Oiwa, while local origami artist Tomoko Fuse is a notable addition too. We're happy to see that these artists, heralded overseas but relatively unknown back home, are getting a chance to step into the domestic limelight here.
In terms of foreign participants, Philippine couple Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan will be making an appearance, as will Finnish visual artist Maaria Wirkkala, daughter of late glassware giant Tapio Wirkkala. You'll also want to look out for Kotakeman, a cult hero known for hosting the 'Self-Festival' in Osaka, and musical duo Sizzle Ohtaka and Takayuki Fujimoto.
Maaria Wirkkala
Part of the 'Me' (pronounced 'meh') team: Kenji Minamigawa (left) and Haruka Kojin (right)
All in all, the combination of hot springs, magnificent scenery, tasty local sake and food, plus the art of course, should be enough to tempt anyone. It's a bit of a trek, sure, but if you're looking for a quick getaway from Tokyo's hustle, bustle and stifling heat in June or July, definitely consider heading up to Nagano.