Islands of creativity

Kitagawa Furamu, founder of the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and director of the Setouchi Triennale, says that art is used as a creative tool to help revive the economy and cultural confidence in these areas.

"I invite artists to integrate local elements into their work. I hope it can help rebuild locals' confidence in their hometowns and villages, which are not inferior to cities," says Furamu.

The islands in the area have seen many young people move to big cities to find jobs and settle down. Only older people stay and, as a result, the economy declines.

However, when the art festival was held in 2010, tourists from home and abroad filled the islands to enjoy the various museums designed by well-known architects, work produced by famous artists from across the world and star-studded live performances.

For the coming triennial in 2019, according to Furamu, the number of volunteers for the art festival is already more than 10,000.

"Art is on the surface. Through it, people interact with local culture, history and even food," adds Furamu.

Chinese installation artist Lin Tianmiao agrees. She transformed an old house on Ogijima island into an installation by using more than 1,000 everyday items that were left in the house by its owner, such as a notebook, pill boxes, a harpoon and sticks from a curling iron.

"The house owner cried when he saw my installation. It was like a revival of his family's memory. I was also moved by my work. It enables visitors to imagine the changes of both a Japanese family over several decades and also of the society in which they live," says Lin.