Festival Structure

The Setouchi Triennale unfolds across three distinct seasonal sessions throughout the year, each offering unique perspectives on the islands and their art. The spring session (April to May) showcases the islands in bloom; the summer session (July to September) presents vibrant island life at its most active; and the autumn session (October to November) reveals the contemplative beauty of the islands as foliage changes. This seasonal approach allows visitors to experience the region's transformation throughout the year while making the festival more sustainable for the small island communities.

Spanning approximately 100 days in total, the festival encompasses eleven main islands and several additional areas, centered around the city of Takamatsu in Kagawa Prefecture. Some islands and venues participate in all three sessions, while others are open only during specific seasons. The eastern islands—Naoshima, Teshima, Megijima, Ogijima, Shodoshima, Oshima, and Inujima—generally participate in all sessions, functioning as the festival's core, while western islands like Honjima, Takamijima, Awashima, and Ibukijima typically open only during the autumn session.

Key Islands & Art Sites

The Setouchi Triennale encompasses a diverse archipelago where each island offers a distinct artistic and cultural experience. While all participating islands contribute to the festival's unique character, several locations have emerged as especially significant art destinations, both during the Triennale and throughout the year.

Naoshima

The pioneering art island featuring Tadao Ando's iconic museums, including Chichu Art Museum and the Benesse House complex, along with Yayoi Kusama's famous pumpkin sculptures.

Teshima

Home to the extraordinary Teshima Art Museum, a collaboration between architect Ryue Nishizawa and artist Rei Naito, featuring a minimalist concrete shell with natural water droplets.

Shodoshima

The largest festival island, known for olive production and soy sauce breweries, featuring numerous artworks spread across multiple villages and scenic locations.

Inujima

A former industrial site transformed by the Inujima Seirensho Art Museum, built within an abandoned copper refinery, demonstrating sustainable architectural practices.

History & Context

The Setouchi Triennale emerged from a unique collaboration between local governments, the Fukutake Foundation, and Benesse Corporation to address the Seto Inland Sea region's social and environmental challenges. During Japan's rapid industrialization in the 1960s and 1970s, many islands in the Seto Inland Sea faced severe industrial pollution and became sites for illegal waste dumping. Combined with the nationwide trends of rural depopulation and aging communities, these islands, once vibrant centers of maritime culture, faced existential threats to their survival.

The transformation began in the 1980s when Soichiro Fukutake, inheriting his father's vision for cultural development, partnered with architect Tadao Ando to establish art venues on Naoshima. This initiative evolved over decades into a comprehensive regional revitalization strategy, culminating in the first Setouchi Triennale in 2010. Under the artistic direction of Fram Kitagawa, who had pioneered similar art-based revitalization with the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial in Niigata, the Setouchi Triennale expanded the earlier Naoshima project into a region-wide endeavor spanning multiple islands.

Key Artworks

The Setouchi Triennale is renowned for its remarkable permanent installations that have become symbols of the festival and year-round attractions. These iconic works, many of which remain accessible outside the festival period, demonstrate the powerful integration of art, architecture, and natural environment that defines the Setouchi approach.

Red Pumpkin

Yayoi Kusama

Located at Naoshima's Miyanoura Port, this vibrant red sculpture with black polka dots serves as a whimsical gateway to the island, complementing Kusama's yellow pumpkin on the opposite side.

Teshima Art Museum

Ryue Nishizawa & Rei Naito

A remarkable concrete shell structure containing a single artwork—water droplets that emerge from the floor in an ever-changing dance, creating a meditative space that harmonizes with nature.

Chichu Art Museum

Tadao Ando

Built mostly underground to preserve the island's landscape, this architectural masterpiece houses significant works by Claude Monet, James Turrell, and Walter De Maria in spaces lit by natural light.

Art House Project

Various Artists

A collection of abandoned houses in Naoshima's Honmura district transformed into art installations, merging contemporary art with traditional Japanese architecture and local history.