Yamagata Biennale
I visited the 2018 edition of the Yamagata Biennale.
It was a truly wonderful arts festival, one where I could encounter art at a relaxed, unhurried pace.
Yona of the Mountains
“Yona of the Mountains,” a stage-art-like work by picture-book author Ryoji Arai, was the most memorable project of the Yamagata Biennale for me. It recreates the world of the unfinished picture book “Yona of the Mountains” in the Assembly Hall of Bunshokan. Among the biennale’s exhibits, it holds a particularly prominent place.
Bunshokan, the venue, is a rare and valuable building built about 100 years ago, representative of Western-style architecture from the early Taisho period. Restored using the construction techniques of its founding era, its opulent interior lets you soak up the Taisho-retro atmosphere as well.
“Yona, who lives in the mountains. Born in the mountains, raised in the mountains, and dwelling in the mountains. In a tiny, tiny shop set up like a handcart, she arrays souvenirs and serves tea. Yona’s shop on the mountain pass” (from Arai’s idea notes) — the world of the unfinished picture book “Yona of the Mountains,” conceived fifteen years ago, appears in the Assembly Hall, a National Important Cultural Property. A shop of stories opens, where people of the mountains and people of the town can meet and mingle. — from the official site.
The entire floor of the venue is saturated with the worldview of “Yona of the Mountains.”
Ryoji Arai’s fine handiwork is scattered here and there, and the world was carefully staged in every corner.
The tiny wooden huts are also sized so that a person can actually go inside — although an adult must crouch to enter, which is very much “Yona of the Mountains” in scale.
Paintings that look as if lifted straight out of a picture book were placed casually throughout, and I wandered around the space viewing the works as though on a treasure hunt.
Simply lingering in the space as we took in the works, we visitors found ourselves feeling as though we had slipped into the work “Yona of the Mountains,” even hallucinating that we had become one of its characters.
Yona is set up as a girl who lives in the mountains and runs a small souvenir shop.
There was also a participatory element, where visitors could swap something they had brought with them for something Yona had made.
Improv Live — Ryoji Arai + Shinji Ishii
On the final day of the run, an event called “Improv Live,” featuring Ryoji Arai (the creator of “Yona of the Mountains”) and novelist Shinji Ishii, was held at the same venue.
Sitting on the floor or on chairs, visitors enjoyed listening to tracks by Elvis Presley and others on a gramophone brought in by Shinji Ishii.
The mood was warm and unhurried, the pace pleasantly loose.
In any case, a happy atmosphere hung over everything.
A space where adults and children alike naturally break into smiles.
I don’t recall an arts festival quite like this, I thought, as I stepped out of the venue.
Overview
Michinooku Arts Festival — Yamagata Biennale 2018
Exhibition title: “Yona of the Mountains”
Venue: Bunshokan Assembly Hall
Open: 9:00 – 16:30
Dates: September 1 – September 24 (open only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Monday holidays during the run) / 13 days in total.
