The “Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2024” will be held from Saturday, July 13th, to Sunday, November 10th, in the Echigo-Tsumari region, comprising Tokamachi City and Tsunan Town in Niigata Prefecture.
Known as one of the world’s largest international art festivals, this triennale was founded in 2000 under the direction of Fram Kitagawa, who hails from Niigata Prefecture. The festival was launched in response to the Heisei-era municipal mergers of five neighboring cities and towns, addressing challenges such as depopulation, aging populations, urban migration of the young workforce, and the decline of agriculture. By leveraging the power of art to connect people with their surroundings, each other, and their communities, the festival has aimed to revitalize and unlock the potential of the region.
Following its eighth edition in 2022, this triennale continues to offer a year-round experience, allowing visitors to explore artworks scattered throughout the Echigo-Tsumari region while enjoying the natural beauty of the satoyama landscape. Among the permanent installations, “Tunnel of Light” by Ma Yansong / MAD Architects, a renovated tunnel in the Kiyotsu Gorge, has garnered significant media attention for its water mirror reflecting the gorge’s scenic views.
The ninth edition of the festival will feature 275 artist groups from 41 countries and regions, with 100 of these groups from 16 countries presenting new works and exhibitions.
An exhibition tracing the creative path of Ilya Kabakov, a Russian avant-garde artist from the former Soviet Union (now Ukraine), known as the “father of Moscow Conceptualism,” who died in 2023, will also be on view. Kabakov and his wife, Emilia Kabakov, left many works to the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, including “Rice Terraces,” a sculpture depicting a scene of rice farming.
Nikita Kadan, a native of Kiev who has remained in Ukraine since the Russian invasion, will exhibit his sculpture “Sculpture of Khostmeri” made of metal from a roof destroyed by a missile and stones from the Echigo-Tsumari region.
Other exhibits include “Dream House” by Marina Abramović, a performance artist from Yugoslavia, and a “food” themed work by contemporary artist EAT&ART TARO, which will be exhibited at the “Onna-sho” (women’s house) exhibition in the local area of Kamigo and Tsu, organized by the artist. The “Kamigo Cloveza Restaurant,” a performance restaurant where local mothers from Kamigo and Tsunan, known as “onnasho,” cheerfully and joyfully serve food in a theatrical style, and the “Echigo-Tsumari Athletic Meet,” in which all generations and nationalities are welcome to participate.
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2024
Dates: Saturday, July 13 – Sunday, November 10, 2024, closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (87 days in total)
Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the entire period (some facilities will be open as usual).
Hours: 10:00-17:00 (10:00-16:00 in October and November)
*Publication dates and hours may differ according to each work.
Venue：Echigo-Tsumari area (Tokamachi City and Tsunan Town, Niigata Prefecture) 760㎢
Organizers: Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale Executive Committee, NPO Echigo-Tsumari Satoyama Collaborative Organization, Japan Arts Council, Agency for Cultural Affairs
Executive Committee Chairman: Yoshifumi Sekiguchi (Tokamachi City Mayor)
Deputy Executive Committee Chairman: Yu Kuwabara (Mayor of Tsunan Town)
Honorary Executive Committee Chairman: Hideyo Hanazumi (Governor of Niigata Prefecture)
General Producer: Soichiro Fukutake (Honorary Chairman, Fukutake Foundation / Honorary Advisor, Benesse Holdings Corporation)
General Director: Fram Kitagawa (Art Director)
Creative Director: Taku Satoh (Graphic Designer)
Official Supporter Leader: Kohei Takashima (President, Oisix La Daichi Co., Ltd.)
