Yamagata Biennale 2016

The Yamagata Biennale started in 2014, so this year marks the festival's second coming. Grabbing the directorial reins again will be picture book artist Ryoji Arai, popular for hosting creatives who think outside the box and create pieces that stretch the definition of modern art – last time around, these included musicians Tenniscoats, Tavito Nanao and Miyuki Hatakeyama. In 2016, you can look forward to works by writer Shinji Ishii, Masahiro Tobita from fashion brand Spoken Words Project, author Daizaburo Sakamoto, graphic designer Daijiro Ohara and Morioka Bookstore's Yoshiyuki Morioka. Note that the main venue, the Bunshokan, will be closed on September 5 and 20.