As we settle into the last beautiful stretch of summer, the last thing Uncle wants to do is spend his time cooped up in a gallery or watch his breath freeze in over-air-conditioned museums. Fortunately, this summer, Japan has launched the Setouchi Art Festival, an outdoor island-hopping extravaganza filled with mountain vistas, welcoming smiles, cooling ocean breezes and of course, enough thought-provoking art to make the rest of the year in Hong Kong bearable. Running until October 31, it is a one-time soul-salving excursion that you should literally drop everything to go on.

Located in southern Japan, the Setouchi Art festival is a private/government partnership backed by top 200 super-collector Soichiro Fukutake of Berlitz language tape fame. Designed to re-invigorate withering rural island communities, this inaugural festival is 100 days of scavenger-hunt style art viewing as you ferry your way between eight islands and hike through public artworks installed in remote mountain ponds, rocky ocean cliffs, and classic Edo-period houses. It’s worth the trek though, as celebrated artists like digital number enthusiast Tatsuo Miyajima and “heart-throb” Christian Boltanski reward your efforts with thoughtful site-specific art installations embedded into
the countryside or spilling out of two-story houses donated for the festival. Hong Kong even gets a shout out with local group Sense Art Studio’s interactive tea cafe project.

While there are some misses among the hits (stripping down for senior artist Shinro Ohtake’s public bathhouse installation is a must-do), the real reason you should go is for a completely unique and refreshing experience of looking at art. Instead of ten minutes between drinks at a gallery opening, or the 100m dashes through a museum, Setouchi’s island geography imposes its own pace to view and reflect on art as you ferry from site to site. Like a long stroll after a heavy meal, it’s the physical and mental space that art needs for proper digestion. The festival is also a chance to learn about these charming island hamlets before they’re swallowed up by relentless waves of urbanisation. Many artists created works about the sea-faring octogenarian communities while others like Onba Factory’s ‘grandma cart’ project involved residents in design and production.

Logistically, you’ll need at least a half day to travel from Tokyo to Takamatsu by plane or bullet train via Okayama, then three full days on the islands to get a taste, or five to do it right. Use Takamatsu as your base and make your way from island to island, or pack light and stay a night on each island. After flights you can do the entire three-day trip solo on the cheap for HK$4,000 but it’s worth the splurge to book a night at Fukutake-san’s private Tadao Ando-designed museum/hotel on Naoshima island.

So, when you’re planning your last hurrah of the summer, screw the stay-cation and get yourself to Setouchi. It’s art, al fresco style.

Jehan Chu

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