Japan Center’s Art Journey through Satoyama at Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale

Echigo-Tsumari Art Field 2022

2022 Art Journey to Echigo-Tsumari Art Field from November 4-6 (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

Akiko Utsumi's "for the many lost windows" on a misty day

First stop is Akiko Utsumi's “for the many lost windows” (Japan) on a misty day (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

Participants viewing Christian Boltanski’s “Forest Spirit” (Russia) in the woods

Participants viewing Christian Boltanski’s “Forest Spirit” (Russia) in the woods (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

At Matsushiro Castle

At Matsushiro Castle

Hakkaisan sake bottle with a specially-made glass for sake

Hakkai Brewery invited the group for dinner at their headquarters in Minami-Uonuma (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

Hakkai Brewery Co., Ltd, Executive Vice President, Masato Yagumo, Asia Society Japan Arts Committee Co-chairs, Tsutomu Horiuchi and Jenifer Rogers presenting certificate of appreciation for the invitation to Hakkai Brewery facilities and dinner

Hakkai Brewery Co., Ltd, Executive Vice President, Masato Yagumo, Asia Society Japan Arts Committee Co-chairs, Tsutomu Horiuchi and Jenifer Rogers presenting a certificate of appreciation for the invitation to Hakkai Brewery facilities and dinner (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

A group photo at Kiyotsukyo Gorge

Day 2 starts at “Tunnel of Light” by MAD Architects at Kiyotsukyo Gorge (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

Inside the “Tunnel of Light”

Inside the “Tunnel of Light” (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

Exhibits at Kiyotsu Warehouse Museum

Exhibits at Kiyotsu Warehouse Museum (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

Gau Yu’s “The wind from sky” (China) at Yunagawa Campus

Gau Yu’s “The wind from sky” (China) at Yunagawa Campus (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

Yayoi Kusama's “Tsumari in Bloom” (Japan) at Matsudai Nobutai

Yayoi Kusama's “Tsumari in Bloom” (Japan) at Matsudai Nobutai (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

A group photo at Misashima Station, Seiichi Saito’s “JIKU #13 HOKUKOKU-Line” (Japan)

A group photo at Misashima Station, Seiichi Saito’s “JIKU #13 HOKUKOKU-Line” (Japan) where you ride on a train in order to see the art (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

Inside the Museum on Echigo-Tsumari (MonET) designed by architect Hiroshi Hara of Atelier Φ

Museum on Echigo-Tsumari (MonET) in Tokamachi city center is the hub for the art festival which is open throughout the year. The building is designed by architect Hiroshi Hara of Atelier Φ who happened to be the executive director of the art festival and our guide, Mitsu Hara’s father. (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

Dinner at Ubusuna House which is a thatched roof house

Dinner at Ubusuna House which is a thatched roof house that houses works of pottery by world renowned artists, such as Takuo Nakamura, Sawa Kiyotsugu, Goro Suzuki, Mizuki Yoshikawa, Taizo Kuroda, and Kenji Hara which have functions within the house as bath tubs, stoves, sinks, etc. (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

Stanley Wong a.k.a. anothermountainman's works at Hong Kong House

Stanley Wong a.k.a. anothermountainman's works at Hong Kong House (Hong Kong). (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

Seizo Tajima (Japan), “Museum of Picture Books and Tree Nuts”

Seizo Tajima (Japan), “Museum of Picture Books and Tree Nuts” (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

The roof opening to the sky at James Turrell (USA) “House of Light”

The roof opening to the sky at James Turrell's (USA) “House of Light” (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

Participants in front of “House of Light”

Participants in front of “House of Light” (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

A group photo in front of Jimmy Liao’s “Kiss & Goodby” (Taiwan) at Doichi Station

Last stop of the 2022 Art Journey at Jimmy Liao’s “Kiss & Goodbye” (Taiwan) at Doichi Station (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

View of satoyama

View of satoyama as we depart Tokamachi-shi, Niigata (Taishi Yokotsuka / Asia Society Japan)

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Continuing from the successful art journeys to Kyoto in 2020 and Kanazawa & Fukui in 2021, the 5th Asia Society Japan Center Art Journey took us to Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale (ETAT). In a year of art festivals all over Japan, it is one of the largest art festivals in the world and a pioneer of regional art festivals in Japan. Covering the same area as Tokyo 23 wards in the surrounding area of Tokamachi-city in Niigata, it is a festival where artists, the community, and the land come together. The area is still filled with “satoyama” life where people engage with the land and live together with the art since 2000. 333 artworks by 263 artists from 38 countries are exhibited, of which 123 works are new in 2022.

Those three days were indeed packed with art, nature, and good food. We could not cover everything, but we got to see important works such as James Turrell’s “House of Lights”, Christian Boltanski’s “Forest Spirit”, as well as the works at Hong Kong House by Stanley Wong a.k.a. anothermountainman who spoke at Art for Breakfast in September. The group was invited to Hakkai Brewery renowned for Hakkaisan by executive vice president Masato Nagumo and his team where we were able to see their grounds and taste not just their sake but their craft beer, shochu, and amazake. It was an amazing trip where we experienced the art, the local community, the land, and nature, all coming together to make this art festival an amazing experience.