Japanese island transcends into hub for contemporary art

(MENAFN) Hinichi Kobayashi fondly recalls his childhood days on Naoshima, a small island among nearly 3,000 scattered throughout Japan’s Seto Inland Sea.

“We would go clam digging,” said Kobayashi, who became the island’s mayor in 2018 at age 75. “During the summer, I would spend entire days swimming in the sea, catching turban shells and fish, getting deeply tanned.”

He also remembered a time when foreign tourists were virtually nonexistent. “I don't recall seeing any foreign visitors,” he added.

Today, Naoshima has emerged as a popular destination, drawing more than half a million tourists yearly, largely due to its transformation into a hub for contemporary art. This shift began in 1989 with the establishment of the Benesse Art Site Naoshima, an ambitious multi-island art project initiated by billionaire Sōichirō Fukutake. The island’s traditional fishing villages, rice paddies, and rugged coastline have since become a backdrop for captivating art installations and world-class museums.

The introduction of the Setouchi Triennale in 2010 further boosted the region’s appeal. This international art festival has grown into one of Japan’s premier cultural events, attracting around a million visitors during each festival season. The most recent edition began on April 18 and will continue until November 9, marking the longest duration for the event to date.

Such a cultural renaissance would have been hard to imagine four decades ago. Naoshima, once recognized as a copper smelting center in the early 1900s, had become heavily contaminated by the 1980s. Industrial pollution around the Mitsubishi Materials plant had stripped the land of much vegetation, and the population sharply declined as young residents moved to urban areas in search of better opportunities.

The island’s revival traces back to Tetsuhiko Fukutake, a publishing industry leader, and then-mayor Chikatsugu Miyake, who initially aimed to breathe new life into the community by creating a children’s campground. Tetsuhiko passed away before the project’s completion, leaving the responsibility to his son Sōichirō. Witnessing the environmental damage on Naoshima firsthand, Sōichirō acquired a significant portion of the island’s less damaged southern region.

His vision was clear: to rejuvenate the island by building striking museums integrated into the peaceful coastal landscape. For this endeavor, he enlisted Tadao Andō, an Osaka-born architect celebrated for designing structures that harmonize naturally with their surroundings.

According to reports, this bold fusion of art and nature has redefined Naoshima, transforming it from a polluted, fading industrial site into a celebrated cultural landmark drawing global visitors and enriching the local community.

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