Japan and contemporary art in 2022

Outdoor works, night tours, exhibition marathons … During 2022, many Japanese cities come alive with various cultural events, a story for visitors to fill up on art while enjoying the land of the rising sun.

But among all these events, difficult to navigate. From Tokyo to Aichi via Setouchi, Omihachiman and Kyoto, we have selected the events not to be missed in Japan in 2022.

Setouchi Triennale

Every three years the Setouchi Triennale, one of Japan’s biggest festivals of modern and contemporary art, takes place in the Seto Inland Sea (Seto Naikai) region of Japan. This exceptional celebration of creativity, inspiration and beauty will return for its fifth edition, transforming the Japanese region of Setouchi once again into a mecca of art.

It will take place on the following dates:

• Spring: April 14th – May 18th
• Summer: August 5th – September 4th
• Autumn: September 29th – November 6th

The Triennale will take place on twelve islands and two ports in Kagawa and Okayama prefectures.

Biwako Biennale

The Biwako Biennale is an international art exhibition that began in 2001, in a bid to preserve traditional Japanese merchant houses and buildings.

Next year the Biwako Biennale will be celebrating its 10th edition in the fall of 2022. And will take place in the cities of Omi-Hachiman and Hikone in Shiga prefecture.

It is a rare art event that highlights the beauty of old Japanese houses, where contemporary art pieces accent spaces that people occupied in the olden days. The exhibitions are scattered throughout 18 venues, most of which are buildings from the Edo period (17th – 19th century), including Hikone Castle.

You will get to enjoy the fusion of Japanese-style architecture with contemporary art from October 8th to November 27th.

Aichi Triennale

The Aichi Triennale, which has been held every three years since 2010, is one of the largest international contemporary art festivals in Japan.

In 2022, the fifth edition of the festival will feature an international exhibition of contemporary art alongside film, performing arts and music programs, bringing together more than 80 individual artists and groups of artists ito a wide range of expressive fields to present their cutting edge works.

The theme for the 2022 Aichi International Art Festival will be STILL ALIVE and will run from July 30th to October 30th.