Sapporo International Art Festival 2014: City and Nature
July 19–September 28, 2014
Main venues:
Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art
Sapporo Art Museum
Sapporo Ekimae-dori Underground Walkway (a.k.a. Chi-Ka-Ho)
Moerenuma Park
and more
Sub-themes: Nature / City / Economy, Community and Life
Guest director: Ryuichi Sakamoto
SIAF 2014 Associate Curator: Shihoko Iida
SIAF 2014 Associate Curator (Media Art): Yukiko Shikata
Regional Director: Satoshi Hata
General Producer: Mitsuhiro Takemura
Participating artists: A.P.I., Susan Philipsz, Subodh Gupta, Naoya Hatakeyama, Byeong Sam Jeon, Anselm Kiefer, Tetsumi Kudo, Takashi Kuribayashi, Daito Manabe, Taiji Matsue, Soichiro Mihara, Aiko Miyanaga, Fujiko Nakaya, Carsten Nicolai, Shinro Ohtake, Masao Okabe, Jungsun Park, Tomás Saraceno, Shiro Takatani, Ian Wilson, Fuyuki Yamakawa and more
Sapporo International Art Festival officially announces its highly anticipated grand opening of their very first international art fair on July 19.
The Sapporo International Art Festival 2014 (SIAF2014)—the city’s first international art festival—has started as part of the Creative City Sapporo initiative* over a period of 72 days from Saturday, July 19 to Sunday, September 28.
Under the theme of City and Nature, SIAF2014 provides opportunities for visitors to explore the concept of nature, cities, economy and lifestyles and to find out more about how cities can coexist with nature based on a reassessment of urban and environmental issues in Sapporo/Hokkaido, Japan, and the region’s history in the context of art.
This contemporary art exhibition, which is held at Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art and Sapporo Art Museum, are the core element of the Sapporo International Art Festival 2014. It showcases works by Japanese and international artists featuring the history of modernization in Hokkaido and Japan as well as their natural environments. The ultimate aim is to allow reassessment for the future of the natural environment of Sapporo and Hokkaido and to promote consideration of the characteristics of ideal urban areas, energy consumption and daily lifestyles.
“Chi-Ka-Ho” is a 520-meter underground walkway featuring exhibition spaces, and provides a direct connection between Sapporo Station and Odori Subway Station. By utilizing this space, another area of the core exhibition Sensing Streams is held focusing on the information technology that permeates society/urban environments and connects people. This project involves multiple artists sensing various information streams in society and cities as a basis for dynamic visualization and sonification.
Other highlights include various regional programs featuring the natural environment of Hokkaido. The location for these programs are at historical edifices around Sapporo and Moerenuma Park designed by Isamu Noguchi.
Attendees are able to visit various SIAF 2014 sites to enjoy a diverse array of programs involving contemporary art, music, performing arts and media arts. There are also opportunities to participate in workshops and other events while experiencing local communities and interacting with other people. This combination of activities create an art festival that provides opportunities to envision the future.
Message from Guest Director Ryuichi Sakamoto
The land that was named Hokkaido after the Meiji Restoration can be seen as a symbol of Japan’s modernization due to the part it played. Even the indigenous people and nature of Hokkaido were not immune from that modernization. By looking back on our past through art we can explore the concept of nature, cities, economy and lifestyles in Sapporo/Hokkaido in the 21st century (The concept of social sculpture). Leading-edge work based on the themes will be displayed in the most suitable places.
For press inquiries:
International Art Festival Secretariat, Creative City Sapporo International Art Festival Executive Committee (International Art Festival Department, Tourism & Cultural Affairs Bureau, City of Sapporo)
T +81 11 211 2314 / F +81 11 218 5154 / press [at] siaf.jp / siaf.jp/en/
*The Creative City Sapporo initiative is propelled by Sapporo city. On November 11, 2013, Sapporo was designated as a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (City of Media Arts), which consists of 41 cities around the world.
