Paper short abstract:

This paper points to the emergence of Japanese contemporary art festivals for regional revitalization. Based on anthropological research, it examines the engagement and perception among aged residents of rural regions where art festivals take place, and evaluates the social transformation behind.

Paper long abstract:

Comparing with other Asian countries, Japan has a relatively long history of organizing periodical international art exhibitions, with Tokyo Biennale (1952-1970) as its early example. While these early exhibitions represented significant moments in the history of Japanese avant-garde, in the 21st Century periodical exhibitions resurface in a new format and context. Pioneered by Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale of Niigata Prefecture (since 2000) and followed by prominent followers such as Setouchi Triennale of Kagawa and Okayama Prefecture (since 2010), biennales/triennales have become innovative means for tackling social problems, especially in rural regions Facing rapidly aging and shrinking populations, municipal governments attempt to use contemporary art for regional revitalization: to bring media exposures, tourists, domestic migrants, and to forge new social relations with aged residents of these otherwise marginalized and neglected regions. Under the banner of "art festivals" (geijutsusai), biennales/triennales are no longer merely "exhibitions"; they have become social projects, involving much wider scopes of participants beyond the conventional art worlds. Based on my anthropological research on revitalization-oriented art festivals in rural Japan since 2017, this paper focuses on a particular group of participants: the local residents. How do these local residents, most of them elderly in the aging communities, engage in the processes? What do the art festivals mean to them? And how do they perceive the regional transformation brought by these festivals? By examining narratives from local residents, this papers evaluate the efficacy and problems of art festivals as social projects in the context of contemporary Japan.