Aichi Triennale

After 73 days, Aichi Triennale 2022 came to a successful close yesterday, Oct 10th, 2022. Since its opening on July 30, 2022, 487,834 visitors have come to enjoy Aichi Triennale 2022 despite the pandemic. We would like to thank you all for your visit and cooperation.

Obayashi Takeo [Chairperson of Aichi Triennale Organizing Committee] says:

The international art festival "Aichi Triennale 2022" came to a close on October 10th , after a run of 73 days. Even with negative impact of the spread of COVID-19, more than 480,000 people visited the festival. We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to everyone who came to Aichi Triennale 2022.

The successful completion of the festival would not have been possible without the efforts and support of a great many people: the artists who exhibited their wonderful works, the people who provided venues for the festival, our corporate sponsors, the media, the volunteers who supported the operation of the venues, and so many others. Again, let me express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported and cooperated in the holding this event.

Aichi Triennale 2022 was my first international art festival as Chairperson of the Aichi Triennale Organizing Committee. It is unfortunate that entry to Japan from overseas was restricted due to the corona pandemic, but I believe that, as Japan's largest urban international art festival, we were able to offer extremely attractive works of art that were enjoyed by people in Japan.

I myself visited the festival venues many times, and encountered wonderful works by artists from all over the world that pose questions about the fundamental meaning of life. In addition, one could feel the history and culture of Aichi through traditional crafts and works originating in local industries, including woolen textiles, dyeing and weaving, and ceramics, as well as in the local townscapes. This showed us once again the great potential that Aichi has.

Aichi Triennale 2022 has come to an end, but I hope that the experiences and connections you have made at this art festival will continue to live on in your hearts and provide energy for your future. I also hope that the Aichi Triennale international art festival will continue to be popular among a wide variety of people, and that the appeal of this region will continue to spread from Aichi to the rest of the world, along with cutting-edge art and culture.

Kataoka Mami [Artistic Director of Aichi Triennale 2022] says:

With the successful completion of international art festival "Aichi Triennale 2022," I feel a great sense of both relief and happiness from the bottom of my heart. This was an international exhibition that was prepared for and held in the midst of uncertainty, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic and just before restrictions on entry to Japan were significantly eased. Under the theme "STILL ALIVE," the festival asked questions about the fundamental meaning of living, and the power of art and art festivals to survive in times like the present. Curators and curatorial advisors from all over the world responded to this theme, and 100 artists (or artist groups) were selected who presented us with their various answers to these questions. Their artworks were appreciated by over 480,000 visitors to the festival.

In addition to exhibitions and performances at the art museum and theater space of the Aichi Arts Center, venues in Ichinomiya City, Tokoname City, and the Arimatsu district of Nagoya permeated by urban history, industrial history, and traditional culture provided a magnetic force that highlighted and deepened the meaning of the artworks. Can the dichotomy between international and local be risen above, allowing both to exist side-by-side without compromise? Can a "conversation" between Aichi and the rest of the world truly help us to feel the connections among different values? While diving deeply into the diverse fields of contemporary art, performing arts, crafts, and learning, can we discover the essence of art that underlies all of them? Rather than being shocked by the radical and the gaudy, can we face each work and each artist straight-on, and use the power of imagination to feel empathy for others? The results of these attempts will become clear in the future to all those who were involved in and visited international art festival Aichi Triennale 2022. Nothing could make me happier than for the experience of this festival to have a positive impact on all our future lives--then Aichi Triennale 2022 will truly be "STILL ALIVE."