Art in the Mountains

Yamagata Biennale

日本每年在各個城市都有大大小小的藝術祭,最為人嚮往的,卻非為於大都市如橫濱的藝術三年展,或是以名古屋為中心的愛知縣藝術三年展,而於位於小島與山林內的瀬戶內海藝術祭及越後妻有大地藝術祭。

瀬戶內海藝術祭的成功,除了吸引了觀光客之外,也令國內認識到小島的魅力,為面對著嚴重人口老化問題的島嶼,帶來了年青的新住客。而越後妻有大地藝術祭,原來的其中一個目的,是希望喚回已經離開故鄉的年輕人,已協辦藝術祭為主,再次踏上故鄉的土地,看看自己年老的父母與親戚。

不同的藝術祭有著不同的、與藝術無關的任務,而山形縣藝術雙年展的目的,就是希望透過城市充滿創意的人們,來振興因2011年因日本東北大地震而變得鬱鬱寡歡的縣市。跟瀬戶內海藝術祭等不同,山形縣藝術雙年展並沒有以億計算的資金,但盛如今年的節目總監宮本武典所言,他們要做了並非是可以媲美國際藝術祭的活動,而是小巧的,最重要是可以持續進行的藝術祭。

今年山形縣藝術雙年展的主題是「如山」,除了點明了山形縣的地形外,山也像徵著廣闊、包容度強、平穩而慈悲。參展的藝術家包括了兼任藝術總監的荒井良二、時裝設計師飛田正浩、料理家小桧山聡子等等。除此以外,展期間舉行的活動尤為有趣,包括了小說家的即興寫作表演、川村亘平斎的影子劇場、頌詩音樂會等等。山形縣藝術雙年展未必如日本國內其他展覽般國際化,然而那如山般豐盛的節目,一點都不遜色。

Every year, there are always art festivals of different scales hosted in various cities in Japan. The most popular ones include Yokohama Triennale and Aichi Triennale in Nagoya that are held in major cities, as well as ART SETOUCHI and Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale that are held on remote islands or in rural area.

The success of ART SETOUCHI has not only attracted countless tourists to the exhibition but also introduced to the world the beauty of the Seto Inland Sea. More importantly, the art festival also brought young residents back to the area that was once facing an aging problem. Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale also has a motive of reminding young people who have left the town for bigger cities to return to their homeland to help to organize the festival and to visit their parents and families.

Many of these art festivals have their own hidden agenda that is unrelated to art. Yamagata Biennale also hopes arts and creativity can help to rejuvenate the prefecture that was adversely struck by the 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tōhoku. Unlike other festivals like ART SETOUCHI, Yamagata Biennale does not have hundreds of millions of fundings. Takenori Miyamoto, director of programme of the 2018 festival, said they do not aim at organizing a high profile international art festival; all they target to do is a minimal yet sustainable art festival.

Having “Art in the Mountains” as the theme for the 2018 Yamagata Biennale, the festival stresses on the landscape of Yamagata Prefecture that represent a vastness that is big-hearted, calm and benevolent. The festival will feature works of artist/art director of the festival Ryōji Arai, fashion designer Masahiro Tobita, culinary artist Satoko Kobiyama, etc. During the festival, there will also be various activities including spontaneous creative writing performance, the shadow theatre of Koheisai Kawamura, and poetry concert. Yamagata Biennale may be less international than other exhibitions in Japan, but its programme that is as vast as the mountains will surely be interesting to many.

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