Home
Back

Contemporary art in Japan is thriving. Some art works are found in museums while others can be enjoyed at periodically held art festivals. In particular, the Seto Inland Sea region has gained the reputation of being a hotbed for contemporary art; several islands in the area are home to museums and installations exhibiting contemporary art. The following is a list of some places and events where contemporary art can be enjoyed:

Contemporary art festivals

Echigo Tsumari Art Triennale

Setouchi Triennale

Nakanojo Biennale

Seto Inland Sea area

The Seto Inland Sea between Kagawa and Okayama prefectures hosts the highest concentration of contemporary art sites in Japan. The art movement in the region was started by the Benesse Corporation in the 1990s, when it installed museums and created art projects on Naoshima Island. More museums were later built on Naoshima and its nearby islands, and thanks to the Setouchi Triennale the art has now spread to a dozen islands in the Seto Inland Sea. Below is a short introduction of just the three most prominent ones:

Naoshima

Inujima

Teshima

Contemporary art museums

Aomori Museum of Art

Towada Art Center

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

Mori Art Museum

Hakone Open Air Museum

Enoura Observatory