Wrote this for a client whose site has gone kaput! Why not post it here for some sats?
Are you into a minimalist way of life? Are you keen to find out how Japanese people bring over their forte for elegant and refined living into the arts? If so, you must join the truckloads of Japanese people and foreigners alike who flock to Naoshima every day to appreciate sleek contemporary masterpieces. For the uninitiated, Naoshima was originally a sleepy fishing village that has been given a new lease of life by the Benesse Group which transformed it into a vibrant arts hub. Now chock-full of funky museums, Naoshima has become so vibrant that the Benesse Group extended this transformation to the surrounding islands such as Teshima, Megijima, Ogijima and Inujima. In 2010 and 2013, the Setouchi Triennale modern art festival - featuring innovative works from international artists - was held to great fanfare on these islands. Here are five islands you ought to check out during the next edition of this art festival:
1) Naoshima
Be prepared for Yayoi Kusama's large red polka-dotted pumpkin to take your breath away when you step out of Miyanoura Port. (Be sure to take an Instagram-worthy selfie with Yayoi Kusama's equally mesmerizing yellow polka-dotted pumpkin framed by azure blue skies at the other side of the island!) Rent a bicycle so that you can visit the many stunning art museums with ease. The Art House Project, for one, seamlessly weaves traditional dark wooden houses built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with avant-garde and cutting-edge art installations. Get ready to ponder about the meaning of life and its many complexities along with the artists. Or you can relive your childhood by having a ball of a time playing with the outdoor sculptures outside the Benesse House Museum!
2) Inujima
Due to a huge rock that is uncannily shaped like a sitting dog, Inujima (dog island) is named as such. Once a prosperous copper refinery town, it experienced a drastic fall in dynamism when copper prices plummeted. Thankfully, the dilapidated ruins of the copper refinery were given a refreshing makeover by the Benesse Group and transformed into the Inujima Seirensho Art Museum. What makes this museum stand apart from the rest is how granite and bricks from the abandoned gallery are upcycled to form tasteful art works. Talk about artists getting inspired by and working with their surroundings! Similar to Naoshima, Inujima also showcases the Inujima Art House Project which offers the art aficionado an artistically-infused walk around the island.
3) Teshima
Teshima is yet another island where you can rent a bicycle to leisurely take in its unparalleled natural beauty. Think rolling hills, sandy beaches and verdant forests. Among the art sites you would want to check out is the Teshima Art Museum. Delightfully breaking out of the conventional mould of a building, Teshima Art Museum isn't your typical four-walled building but instead, consists of a huge concrete shell with two oval openings thoughtfully designed to allow wind, sounds, light, and other natural elements in. Such harmony with natural elements continues to dazzle your senses as water keeps on trickling out from the ground throughout the day. Truly a museum that engages you with its relaxed atmosphere! Your senses heightened, you will be compelled to be one with nature and look within yourself introspectively.
4) Megijima
If you are a learner of the Japanese language, you will sooner or later come across Japan's most iconic folk tale character, Momotaro (Peach Boy) who went to Onigashima, the Ogre Island to fight the evil ogres. Well, here's a fun fact: Megijima is allegedly Onigashima, with the presence of a cave near its highest peak that was said to have served as the ogres' hideout! Apart from checking out the assorted ogre statues inside the cave, make your way to Megijima's now-defunct elementary school to admire MECON, Shinro Ohtake's intriguing art installation. Capitalizing on a tall-standing palm tree found exclusively on Megijima, he built an art work composed of bent roots, green plants and metallic objects around it. As "Me" and "con" are derived from Mejima and the Japanese word for root respectively, he wishes to highlight the zest and passion Megijima residents exhibit and hopes that they will remain rooted on the island. A thought-provoking tribute, if there ever was one!
5) Ogijima
The brother island of Megijima, Ogijima is home to at least ten art works that are permanently installed from the first and second editions of the Setouchi Triennale festival. If you are a language fanatic, you will surely fall in love Ogijima's Soul, the Visitor's Welcoming Centre that has a metallic lace roof made up of disparate, yet seemingly connected letters, characters and ideograms from myriad languages around the world!
Has your curiosity been piqued to experience Japan's buoyant and vibrant art scene? The carefully-curated Setouchi Triennale modern art festival has indeed made Naoshima and its surrounding islands an art haven that caters to all aesthetic tastes and sensibilities. From conserved historical buildings to futuristic urban architecture, this festival will awe and amaze you and is a great buck for your money!