DIRECTOR
GENERAL DIRECTOR
Choji Nakahodo
ART DIRECTOR
Design Activist
D&DEPARTMENT Director
Kenmei Nagaoka
design by d&department project • kenmei.nagaoka
photo by choji nakahodo
As one of the fans who have looked forward to the visuals for every Yambaru Art Festival, I am honored to be in charge of the design again, as last year. When thinking about the visuals for the 8th festival, I tried to come up with ideas that carried on the impression I had created last time, without violating the theme of the festival, “Yamabaru honzen,” the image of nature's eternal flow and activity. As in the previous festival, this visual was created using photographs of beautiful Yambaru and many brush strokes without using a computer. This shape was created by chance from the liveliness, and it represented the image of this festival. I also designed it holding the image of the next festival, yet to be seen. While drawing, it became a face, and the letters became an expression. The people who emerged from the inspiration of Yanbaru feel and see the artwork expression one by one. We want to have a deeper communication with the people who visit Yanbaru. This is the image I have in mind.
In 1997, he founded Drawing and Manual, and in 2000, as a culmination of his past design work, he started a new business, "D&DEPARTMENT PROJECT," which combines design and recycling, in Setagaya, Tokyo, to pursue a place of consumption as conceived by designers.
Since 2009, he has been publishing "d design travel," a series of prefecture-by-prefecture guidebooks that take visitors on a tour of Japan from a design perspective. He conceived the idea of "d47 MUSEUM," Japan's first regional design museum that permanently exhibits the "character" of Japan's 47 prefectures, and has operated "d47" at Shibuya Hikarie since 2012, which communicates the "character" of 47 prefectures in conjunction with the store and cafeteria that are also located there. In 2021, he started "d news" in his hometown, Agui-cho, Aichi Prefecture. His books include "The Idea of Kenmei Nagaoka," "The Way Kenmei Nagaoka Does Things," "Kenmei Nagaoka and Nippon," "The Eye of Kenmei Nagaoka," "Design Bussan Nippon," "DESIGN BUSSAN 2014," "Another Design: The Work of Kenmei Nagaoka," "Tsuduku wo Tsukuru," and more.
DIRECTOR OF EXHIBITIONS
Takahiro Kaneshima
Yanbaru Art Festival (YAF), which has been held in the Yanbaru region located in the northern part of mainland Okinawa under the theme of collaboration and practice with contemporary artists since its launch, is now in its 8th year. In recent years, I have begun to direct YAF considering what a research and educational institution such as an art university can do for an art festival.
First, incorporating the perspective of research into the festival. Some of the participating artists have been trying to connect their field research to the creation of artworks since the early days of YAF, and we regard this process as academic research as an art practice, not only presenting the artworks but also documenting them as research results. Then, the artist would take their own interest in local arts and crafts, born from frequent visits to Okinawa, as the subject of their research, and present the results in an exhibition format. YAF will then provide an opportunity to look at the Okinawa region from a new point of view, and its vision will expand from the main island of Okinawa to the Yaeyama region.
In addition, by working with several curators from abroad, YAF could become aware of Okinawa in the context of the world and bring a new perspective to the default art history. In collaboration with various curators from Japan and abroad, YAF invites contemporary art and crafts from even more countries and regions to Yanbaru. we hope you enjoy this art festival, where you can experience the expansion of a new world and the unique perspectives of artists that are slightly different from those of everyday life.
He has been involved in art projects, exhibitions, exchange programs, and research in East Asia, including Yokohama, Beijing, Taipei, Chengdu, and Kyoto, as well as serving as Executive Director of "Art Fair Tokyo" (2011-2015), Art Director of "Art Beijing" (2016-2017), and Program Director of "Art Collaboration Kyouto" (21 years). In 2002, he completed the master's program at Keio University Graduate School of Media and Governance in 2002, and the doctoral program at Kyoto City University of Arts, Graduate School of Fine Arts in 2023. He holds a M.A. (Policy and Media) and Ph.D. (Art). Born in Tokyo in 1977, he has been an Associate Professor of Art Studies at Kanazawa College of Art since 2023.
CURATOR OF THE CRAFT DIVISION
Miki Mugishima
Tetsuya Mugishima
“Honzen” in 'Yambaru Honzen,' the theme of this year's festival, is said to mean “ the original way one should be. Then, does the nature of Yambaru, which was registered as a World Heritage site, still preserve its original condition?
With this question in mind, in November, the torrential rains that hit the Yanbaru region in northern Okinawa caused water and power outages, landslides, and flooding from overflowing rivers, and we witnessed the tremendous damage that natural disasters caused. We express our deepest sympathies to all those affected by this disaster.
Yambaru Art Festival is now in its 8th year. As we have continued the festival over the years, sometimes happy events occur that seem like miracles. For example, a person who asked at the crafts booth several years ago, “I want to be a yachimun artist,” has grown to become one of the selected artists for this year's festival.
For this year, 22 artists were selected from a wide variety of fields, including yachimun, glass, woodworking, indigo dyeing, lacquerware, basho cloth, accessories, and objects. We are committed to bringing the wonderful works of art which each artist has worked so hard to create to as many visitors as possible.
You will find a selection of craft works that are a fusion of tradition and modernity at the “YAF CRAFT MARKET”. We hope you will fully enjoy the world of crafts that resonate with the nature of Yambaru.
YAF Curatorial Committee
Gerben Schermer
Eva Lin
Megumi Machida
Yoshida Yamar
A number of curators from Japan and abroad have joined to organize the Curatorial Committee of the Yambaru Art Festival.
The curators, all of whom have participated in YAF for multiple years, work together to create a diversified artist curation in Yambaru.
- Gerben Schermer
- Curator of contemporary art and animation.
He founded, directed and developed the international Holland Animation Film Festival (HAFF) from 1985 to 2018. He serves on the board of directors and in consultancy positions for national and international organizations. He has been a guest program organizer and jury member at many film festivals around the world, as well as a film producer and publisher.
- Eva Lin
- Independent curator. Renowned for her curatorial projects in experimental, unconventional venues with diverse perspectives.
She has an alternative view of diverse forms of culture in order to extend the initiative and power of the arts.
- Megumi Machida
- Born in Naha City and resides there. Based in Okinawa, she is active in planning exhibitions in and out of the prefecture, and in writing.
Planned “A Scene / A Place” (Hentona Shopping Street) at Yambaru Art Festival 2021-2022, and “A Place” (Hentona Shopping Street venue) and “A Person” (Ogimi Village Former Shioya Elementary School) at Yanbaru Art Festival 2022-2023.
- Yoshida Yamar
- Based on his experience of living in mountain villages and cities, he examines the history of the land, social infrastructure, place, and the reuse of technology, and envisions alternative relationships with society through exhibitions, art projects, publications, management, and other practices. Major art projects include “Extraction, Reversal and Circulation of Urban GENE” (BankART Station,Yokohama,2024), “Gaze this urbs with downcast eyes.” (APRDELESP,CDMX,2024), “MALOU A-F” (Yanbaru Art Festival, Okinawa, 2024).
Yambaru Honzen
“Zen” means what it is, as it is, as it should be.
“Honzen” means ' the original shape as it should be'.
Looking back on the history of Yambaru Art Festival for the past seven years,
the world and society have been rocked by turbulent waves of change,
The impact of those waves has reached us here in Yambaru to a greater or lesser extent.
No matter what era comes in the future,
it will be all right as long as Yambaru exists as it is.
I have such a sense of confidence.
Through this art festival, we hope you will enjoy the beauty of Yambaru's nature, lifestyle, and culture as they are,
and the profound world of creation.
With the theme of Okinawa / Ryukyu's archaic beauty of shade and color sense, he engages in free expression activities regardless of genre, such as photography, design, video, and calligraphy.
Works include “Suderu: Metamorphosis of Original Ryukyu” (Yambaru Art Festival 2018-2019), “Suderu: be reborn” (Kyoto International Film Festival 2019, Art category), the island cat film “Nyaha!” (2018), and the documentary film about nature and life on Iriomote Island “ Us 4 IRIOMOTE THE MOVIE” (2021, available on YouTube).