David in Setouchi

Blogger, Teacher, Father, Immigrant. Gallivants on the Seto Inland Sea art islands and talks about them a lot.

Japan Art Islands

Setouchi Triennale 2025 - The End

The Setouchi Triennale 2025 ended last Sunday. I would like to say that it was a unique Triennale, but they are all unique in their own way. Here are some of my thoughts on this year's festival. A sort of debriefing if you want. Overall impressions A lot

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Takamijima

Takamijima (Setouchi Triennale 2025)

Of all the islands in the Setouchi Triennale, I find Takamijima to be one of the most interesting. It's also one of the least visited, which is probably for the best. To be honest, I always feel torn about people who think the Triennale is only about Naoshima.

artwork

Furniture φ in Takamijima

One interesting project on Takamijima this year is "Furniture φ in Takamijima." It's a collaboration between PhStudio and BankART 1929, which seems to have curated much of the new temporary art on Takamijima this year under the moniker "Takamijima Art Trail." They collected old

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Takamijima

Earth-Eater and Star Dust Kids - Takamijima 2025

Yusuke Asai is no stranger to the Setouchi Triennale. In 2013, he gave us Listen to the Voices of Yesterday Like the Voices of Ancient Times that you can still enjoy on Inujima: https://www.setouchiexplorer.com/listen-to-the-voices-of-yesterday-like-the-voices-of-ancient-times/ I like his style because it feels like a weird "Australian

artwork

"The Seven Wonders of Sanuki" by Tsuyoshi Ozawa at the Kagawa Museum

The autumn session of the Setouchi Triennale 2025 has started a few days ago, and... Despite having had three days off (the weekend and today), I haven't been to a single island yet. Last weekend was just too crowded. It's currently the Mid-Autumn Festival in China,

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Honjima

Setouchi Triennale 2025: Autumn session and the Western Islands

Autumn is here, and the third and final session of the 2025 Setouchi Triennale is just a dozen days away. While a few new artworks will be on the "regular" islands, the western islands of Kagawa Prefecture are the traditional highlight of the autumn session. Since they only

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News

What is the TaneFune doing on campus?

I was afraid I wouldn't be able to post anything this week, but luck was on my side. On my way home from work yesterday evening, I noticed a familiar yet surprising shape near the parking lot. The TaneFune is on campus!

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Shodoshima

Setouchi Triennale 2025 - Shodoshima - Mito Peninsula

Today, I'm taking you to one of my favorite locations on Shodoshima: the Mito Peninsula. More precisely, I'm taking you to Konoura, a village near the peninsula's southern tip. The Mito Peninsula is the southernmost part of Shodoshima. It's quite rural and

Vietnamese Market in Takamatsu, General Thoughts about the Setouchi Triennale Summer Session and Your Opinion

Hello everyone, I returned from France a few days ago. Today is the last day of the summer session of the 2025 Setouchi Triennale, but instead of being on an island, I'm at home. Actually, my original plan was to visit the eastern part of the prefecture to

Shodoshima

Inner Light - Floating Houseboat of Setouchi by Ryusuke Kido on Shodoshima

Hello everyone, First, I want to apologize for the lack of posts this month, despite my July promise. I'm still in France, but I've had much less free time than I expected. In fact, even right now, my son is talking to me while I'

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summer

Setouchi Triennale Summer Session, Ogijima in May and more.

Hello everyone, Today is the first day of the summer session of the Setouchi Triennale 2025. And the first notification I received from the official app this morning was a warning about heat stroke and the unsafe heat conditions in the region. Please take these warnings seriously if you'

Takamatsu

Art in Yashima, Takamatsu (Setouchi Triennale 2025)

Hello everyone, First of all, I want to apologize for being so quiet lately. This is the end of the spring semester here in Japan, so I've been busy. Also, my energy levels have been a bit low, probably due to the strong, steady heat of the past

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Takamatsu

Q&A: Takamatsu during the Setouchi Triennale?

As promised a couple of weeks ago, here is my first Q&A post. I hope more will come.

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Shodoshima

Setouchi Asia Gallery on Shodoshima (Setouchi Triennale 2025)

Today, I'm taking you to a place that very few foreign (or even Japanese) visitors get to see on Shodoshima. First, most foreign visitors to the Setouchi Triennale seem to avoid Shodoshima altogether. Some avoid it out of ignorance; most avoid it because it's true Shodoshima

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Naoshima

Red Pumpkin and AMA?

Good afternoon, I've been hearing that some parts of the Northern Hemisphere are experiencing a heat wave. Stay safe! Here, temperatures have cooled down a bit since last week, and rain has returned, reminding us that the rainy season is not over yet, contrary to what it seemed.

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Megijima

Setouchi Triennale 2025 Report: Megijima part two

All right, I think it's high time to resume my Setouchi Triennale 2025 reports. Sorry for the delay. As I mentioned, spring is always a busy season for me (read: busy at work, so I'm more tired than usual at night). Nevertheless, I'll try

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artwork

Naoshima New Museum of Art (Opening Day)

A short tale of Naoshima New Museum of Art's opening day

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artwork

Setouchi Triennale 2025 Report: Megijima part one

Hello everyone, The spring session of the Setouchi Triennale 2025 ended yesterday, so now I have time to tell you about it and write more frequent reports. I didn't make it to all the places I wanted due to illness early May and the unusually rainy weather, but

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artwork

Glimpses of the Setouchi Triennale 2025 Spring Session

Dear readers, I'm not forgetting you. I've been recovering from my Covid infection, and while I'm back to normal during the day, my stamina is not completely back and I find myself with zero energy left most evenings. And I spent my free days

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Ogijima

Setouchi Triennale 2025 report: Ogijima

I had some big projects for Golden Week. I wanted to write at least one post and prepare at least one more, I wanted to do some spring cleaning in my house and also clean the garden a bit, maybe plant some vegetables. And maybe I would have been in

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Setouchi Triennale 2025 report: Seijima (part one?)

One thing that's difficult about wanting to report on the Setouchi Triennale as it happens is that it's difficult to do so in a timely manner. My days off are devoted to exploring the islands and experiencing as much new art as possible, and that doesn&

Takamatsu

Setouchi Triennale 2025 - Day one... or not...

The Setouchi Triennale 2025 started yesterday but for me, it started today it will hopefully start tomorrow. Yesterday I had to work. It's actually my busiest day of the week as I teach several classes on two campuses. However, on my way to the medical campus in the

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Ogijima

Setouchi Triennale 2025 preview on Ogijima

Wait a minute? Didn't I just send you a post a few days ago? Yes, I did, but I need to share this with you as soon as possible, and definitely before Friday. Back in the days when the Triennale started at the end of March, one of

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Shodoshima

Mini-guide to Shodoshima during the Setouchi Triennale 2025

Hello everyone, A few people here and there have asked me questions about Shodoshima, as it is probably the most difficult island to navigate during the Triennale. So I'm writing this mini-guide for you, with all the important advice I can think of. I will probably write a

Shodoshima

Fisherman's Dream (Saya Irie - Shodoshima)

The most talked about works of art are often the most spectacular, and very often spectacular is synonymous with big. Often, but not always. The artwork I'd like to introduce today is probably the smallest of the Setouchi Triennale, and it's very easy to overlook. Which