Art in Shodoshima's Mito Peninsula

Setouchi Triennale 2016 works from a less-visited area

Jaclynn Seah May 18, 2016 - 1 min read

#81 Mt. Dan Archaeological Site by Hiroko Kubo will catch your eye as you pass by on the road as it features some very large odd wireframe structures

Another part of #81 - take your time to walk around the area and see the various works that make up this artwork

#82 Cyou-ji Gamazumi Project by Daisuke Kuroda takes place in an old school building.

#82 It features a search for this elusive plant as you walk throughout the building. The main hallway hides a bit of a surprise (hold on to your hats!)

#83 The Birth of a Island by Mutsumi Tomosada is close by, featuring large video projections in a dark hall

#84 Garden of the Border by Mitsuharu Doi is a sunken Torii gate, like something recently excavated and quite the opposite of the floating Torii gate at Miyajima near Hiroshima

#84 Garden of the Border up close - you can see a map of sorts form on the top of the Torii gate

#85 Hitoriodori (Dancing Alone) by Charles Worthen. If the shape look familar to you, that's because it is one of those things you use in a beach breakwater, just that when you put it in a warehouse on its own it becomes art...

#86 Sunset House by James Jack. This former community house was transformed by artist and residents into a rather beautiful zen looking structure. There is a video installation of the building of the house inside.

#87 Stories House by Yume Akasaka uses video projections to bring an everyday house to life. You get the sense of something always happening out of the corner of your eye as surreal ghost-like images whisk past

#88 Kukuruhime Garden by Saya Irie. The artist uses erasers to rub off images from their original surface, than uses the eraser shavings to rebuild that same image into a 3D object. Pretty interesting concept.

#90 Boy and Monster by Toshimitsu Isu is a sculpture that you are encouraged to interact with by climbing on. You need to drive to get to this artwork!

#90 Boy and Monster. Head down to the beach to see the rest of the monsters. Are they coming or going?

Perhaps it is the remote location, but look out for the Setouchi Triennale rest area here, where you can get free food!

I had a simple lunch that included Shodoshima's famous somen noodles and an onigiri

Shodoshima is the largest island that is a part of the Setouchi Triennale art festival, which takes place in the Seto Inland Sea area every three years. In order to make the most efficient use of your time on the island, you need to be able to drive around. The artwork in the Mito Peninsula area is often missed as there are not too many buses that service the southern end of the island. I had to do some strategic planning of shuttle bus timings as I did not rent a car. I even hitchhiked at one point! But, here's a quick look at some of the works I saw in Spring 2016 and why you should try to make it to this more remote part of the island if you can.