FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL D'ART DE SETOUCHI

The Setouchi Triennial, also known as the Setouchi International Art Festival, is a contemporary art festival held every three years on a dozen islands in the Seto Inland Sea. It is usually divided into several sessions: from the end of April to the end of May, then from the end of June to the end of August and finally from the end of September to the beginning of November. The first edition dates back to 2010 and the program has been growing over time, integrating more and more islands. Thanks to the festival, in parallel to the programming of the Benesse Art Site Naoshima, contemporary art has acquired an important place in the region. Beyond the promotion of young international artists, the objective of this event is also to revitalize this part of Japan, which, like many other rural areas, is suffering from an aging population and is gradually becoming depopulated. A sustainable and creative way to face this demographic challenge! In addition to a considerable number of existing museums and works of art, the triennial adds about 100 new works of art to the islands, but also around the ports of Takamatsu and Uno, each year it is held. Many of them are preserved and visible the rest of the time. Art is everywhere in the region: in its abandoned houses, on its beaches or in its forests. This is a great time to explore this often underrated part of Japan.