Japan has recently reopened its borders to tourism and we’re anticipating an influx of international travellers in the coming weeks. Among the visitors flocking to local ports this season is Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s Rubber Duck sculpture, which is due to return to Osaka’s Kitakagaya neighbourhood on Sunday November 13 for the annual Suminoe Art Beat festival.
Hofman is widely known for his fun, cheerful and oversized urban installations such as the Hippopo Thames in London and the 'selfie panda' in China. His well-travelled ducky first appeared in 2007 and has since toured cities all over the world including Sydney, Hong Kong, Seoul and Toronto.
The festival will take place from 11am to 4pm on Sunday November 13 at the Creative Center Osaka art complex in Kitakagaya, Suminoe. Along with the 9.5-metre-tall inflatable sculpture, the Rubber Duck will also appear in the form of a flying drone that was first unveiled in 2018.
While the Rubber Duck will be the focal point of this year’s festival, Suminoe Art Beat will also be hosting an exciting series of gallery exhibitions and pop-ups to coincide with the event (the full lineup will be released at a later date). There will be merchandise stands selling Rubber Duck-themed goods, but since the merch will probably sell-out quickly on the day, you might consider pre-ordering online first.
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