Four reasons to visit the Setouchi Triennale

Words by Casey Hawkins

1. Enjoy 30-plus outdoor exhibitions during your preferred season

The Setouchi Triennale is a large-scale art festival held on 12 small islands in the Seto Inland Sea, ten of which feature outdoor exhibitions. Since the triennale runs for 108 days between March and November, contemporary art fanatics will want to take advantage of the '3-season passport' ticket, which encourages you to go back and visit during each season. So you can pose for a photo with the likes of Yayoi Kusama’s 'Red Pumpkin' under the sweltering summer sun and then again in the cool autumn breeze.

2. Some galleries are more like a sci-fi film set

The architecture of Teshima Art Museum generates an eerie yet calming atmosphere. While at Chichu Art Museum, the cold industrial materials that constitute the minimalist structures make you feel as though you’ve been dropped into a maze. The layout and finishes throughout the exhibition space are flawless – leading visitors to question whether they are still on planet Earth. Your senses are in for an astonishing treat that promotes illusion and disorientation as you wander amongst others in dead silence.

3. You can play with the exhibitions

There are a number of playful interactive displays both inside galleries and out in the middle of obscurity. One piece titled 'No One Wins – Multibasket' leaves patrons to initiate participation and determine the artist’s intention. Balls lie scattered around the dusty lot for people to retrieve and show off their basketball prowess. As many of these artworks are off the beaten track, we recommend renting an electric bicycle. There are pay-by-the-hour rental stores operating close to the ports of major islands. With Teshima’s steep hills and lower slopes dotted with rice paddies, you’d be crazy not to take advantage of the zippy bikes on offer.

4. Become an intimate piece of contemporary art

'Les Archives du Coeur' (The Heart Archive) by Christian Boltanski collects the heartbeats of exhibit-goers from around the world. For a small fee, you can have your heartbeat and personal message recorded and then browsed by others; with the potential to one day feature in the Heart Room. The Heart Room provides a mesmeric, perhaps disturbing experience, pairing a flashing light with the powerful sound of a pulsating heartbeat. The heart’s owner is listed on a small screen situated at the entrance. Upon exiting the Heart Room, you can wander through to the Listening Room, where you can sit at the clerical desk and scroll through the playlist of archived heartbeats.