Sapporo International Art Festival 2014
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
www.sapporo-internationalartfestival.jp
Organized by Creative City Sapporo International Art Festival Executive Committee
Theme: City and Nature
Sub-themes: Nature / City / Economy, Community and Life
Guest director: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Artists:
A.P.I, 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, Fuyuki Yamakawa and more
The Sapporo International Art Festival 2014 (SIAF2014)—the city’s first international art festival—will be held as part of the Creative City Sapporo initiative* over a period of 72 days from Saturday, July 19 to Sunday, September 28, under the stewardship of Guest Director and globally renowned artist Ryuichi Sakamoto. The theme of the event is City and Nature.
SIAF2014 will provide 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.
*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.
This contemporary art exhibition which is scheduled to be held at Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art and Sapporo Art Museum will be the core element of the Sapporo International Art Festival 2014. It will showcase 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 will be held focusing on the information technology that permeates society/urban environments and connects people. This project will involve 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 will be at historical edifices around Sapporo and Moerenuma Park designed by Isamu Noguchi.
Attendees will be able to visit various SIAF 2014 sites to enjoy a diverse array of programs involving contemporary art, music, performing arts and media arts. There will also be opportunities to participate in workshops and other events while experiencing local communities and interacting with other people. This combination of activities will 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.
Ryuichi Sakamoto profile
Ryuichi Sakamoto is a composer, musician, producer and environmental activist. From pioneering early electronic music in his first group, Yellow Magic Orchestra, to globally inspired rock albums, classical compositions (including an opera), and over thirty film scores, Sakamoto’s vast range of musical endeavors have left a long lasting contribution to modern music. The rich array of prestigious awards he has received reflect this contribution and include an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, a Grammy, the Order of the Cavaleiro Admissão from the government of Brazil, and many more.
Most recently, Sakamoto has been asked to act as the artistic director for the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media’s (YCAM) tenth anniversary program, as well as the Sapporo International Arts Festival (SIAF2014). In this capacity he has created and collaborated on installation pieces, curated artists from around the world to exhibit their work, and given site-specific performances.
With such an extensive yet varied catalogue of albums, film scores, and almost every conceivable musical endeavor, it’s an undeniable challenge to categorize Sakamoto. The one clear, strand connecting it all is his unparalleled passion.
Planning Advisor: Akira Asada
SIAF 2014 Associate Curator: Shihoko Iida
SIAF 2014 Associate Curator (Media Art): Yukiko Shikata
Regional Director: Satoshi Hata
General Producer: Mitsuhiro Takemura
Contacts
For general inquiries:
Koji Endo, Masayoshi Sugimoto
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 / www.sapporo-internationalartfestival.jp
