Today I headed to Nakanojo in northwestern Gunma Prefecture to check out the Nakanojo Biennale which started on September 12, 2015 and will carry on for a month through to October 12, 2015. This contemporary art event is held once every two years, and I was pleased to be able to go this year. Most of the art installations are indoors and can be viewed between 09:30 and 17:00. I arrived earlier at Tsumugi, a community exchange area not far from Nakanojo Station, and bought my admission passport and guidebook.
The art festival is spread across a number of towns in Nakanojo, including the hot spring towns of Shima Onsen and Sawatari Onsen. Travelling between the different areas is best done by car and then each town on foot as parking may not be available near some of the exhibits.
Despite the cloudy weather, I had an enjoyable time at the Nakanojo Biennale looking at the different art works. Many of the installations make excellent use of empty schools and homes, drawing inspiration from the surrounding countryside landscape. Many of the works I saw mixed texture and form, while some pieces included sensory aspects like smell and sound. Some of my favourite pieces were in lumberyards which exuded a raw industrial feel. Some performing art events are held typically over the weekend, and their schedules can be found in the guidebook.
Below are some of the things I saw at the Nakanojo Biennale and would recommend it to those who enjoy art or being out in the countryside.
That's not a brain but sushi rice that visitors could lie on and pretend to be sushi topping
Tiny dandelion stalks delicately hung on a piece of string
It was completely dark in this room save for that light surrounded by shards of glass, emiting a light ringing sound
Things stuck to the walls of a former brewery
Dandelion puffs suspended in the air
This creeped me out a little and mesmerised me at the same time
The inside of a home turned canvas for the artist
Beautiful quiet room overlooking the Shimagawa River
Looking at the Shimagawa River
Light installation in the woods
Went for a short walk in the woods along the path that is lit in the evenings
Fluorescent dehumidfying agents in a room in an onsen town
Light bulbs that turned on and off at random intervals
Inside an old wooden school
The cafe was open for business when I was there
Bags of shredded books suspended in the library
A house made of disposable chopsticks being picked up by huge wooden sticks
Mahoroba, an ancient word meaning great place. A place where future leaders are nurtured
Rice and the consideration of your own existence
Just one more time at the school gym
The ephemeral beauty in nature, one of my favourites
Scene at a lumberyard
Rice fields along the way
Suspended feathers forming a sphere when looked at head on
A scene from the movie Sleeping Man
Sit by this table and follow the instructions in the book
Visitors could spin the gears and make music
My contribution to that space, just like in that Alfred Hitchcock movie
Visitor contributions to cover the wall with writings
Outside an elementary school which also serves as accomodation for some of the international artists
Countryside views
Feeling the passage of time with the melting of salt
