Venues Include Sapporo Odori Underground Gallery and Moerenuma Park

Hokkaido, named "Hokkaido" alongside the Meiji Restoration, can be seen as a symbol of Japan's modernization. Yet, it is also true that the indigenous peoples and nature itself were not untouched by this modernization. Sapporo International Art Festival 2014 is held to reflect on this past through art.



World-renowned artist Ryuichi Sakamoto serves as guest director. The festival has garnered attention for its music and sounds that evoke a sense of familiarity with the city and nature.



At the Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, one of the main venues, works related to Hokkaido's mining history, the transition of energy eras, and the surrounding environment and social context are displayed, including a large-scale frottage work of Yubari coal mine ruins by Masao Okabe.

At the Sapporo Art Park Museum, located a short distance from the Sapporo city center, sound installations using vessels by Aiko Miyanaga and a monumental new video work by Carsten Nicolai offer an abstract yet profound experience of enduring nature.



In addition, the underground pedestrian space in front of Sapporo Station (Chikaho), the Sapporo Odori Underground Gallery,Moerenuma Parkand other locations throughout the city serve as venues, wherevarious content, including contemporary art, music, and performances,and media art, are being presented.

Sapporo International Art Festival 2014 offers an early taste of autumn's artistic delights in Hokkaido, a land whose northern expanse reveals an unparalleled richness as a stage for art. By engaging with art and the region, the past, present, and future of Sapporo will resonate more deeply.