From September 13 to November 30, 2025, over a 79-day period, Aichi Prefecture will host one of Japan’s largest international art festivals.
The highlight is that Seto City, a ceramic production center with over a thousand years of history, will serve as a main venue, bringing together 62 artists from around the world in this pottery capital that gave rise to the term “setomono” (ceramics).
The artistic director is Hoor Al Qasimi (President and Director of Sharjah Art Foundation, President of the International Biennial Association), who was ranked #1 in the British art magazine ArtReview’s 2024 “Power 100”, opening new horizons between traditional crafts and contemporary art.
This article provides professional analysis for ceramicists, workshop managers, curators, and researchers in the craft industry, examining exhibition strategies at the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum (reopened in April 2025), Seto City’s industrial value as one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns, and market opportunities brought by international curation.
Table of Contents
1. Overview and Strategic Positioning in the Craft Industry
1.1 Basic Information and Stakeholder Structure
Event Overview
- Period: September 13 (Sat) – November 30 (Sun), 2025 [79 days]
- Main Venues: Aichi Arts Center (Higashi-ku, Nagoya), Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum (Seto City), Downtown Seto City
- Artistic Director: Hoor Al Qasimi
- Theme: “A Time Between Ashes and Roses”
- Participating Artists: 62 groups (26 domestic, 36 international)
- Organizer: Aichi Triennale Organizing Committee [President: Takero Obayashi (Chairman of the Board, Obayashi Corporation)]
- Official Website: https://aichitriennale.jp/en/
Curatorial Structure
- Chief Curator: Shihoko Iida (Curator, Aichi Triennale 2013, 2019, 2022 Curator)
- Curator (Contemporary Art): Kiyoaki Irisawa (Curator at Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, specializing in modern and contemporary Japanese ceramic art history)
- Curatorial Advisors: Toshiaki Ishikura (Anthropologist, Associate Professor at Akita University of Art), Soon-Hae Jo (Associate Curator at Mori Art Museum)
1.2 Strategic Value of Hosting in a Ceramic Industry Cluster
Seto City, as Japan’s largest pottery center, had 189 ceramic businesses and 2,654 employees as of 2013 (compared to its peak in 1978 with 1,666 businesses and 14,693 employees).
This region, where the word “setomono” became synonymous with ceramics, has maintained a vertically integrated industrial ecosystem of clay mining, production, and distribution for over a millennium.
The selection of Seto City as a main venue for the international art festival holds the following industrial significance:
- 1. International Visibility of Regional Resources: Showcasing the value of world-class clay resources such as Motoyama Kibushi clay, Motoyama Gairome clay, and Sanage feldspar on an international stage
- 2. Branding of Technical Cluster: Presenting comprehensive capabilities as a technology hub, including derivative industries such as insulators and fine ceramics
- 3. Development of Next-Generation Markets: Acquiring new customer segments and promoting exports through fusion with contemporary art
2. Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum | Intersection of Tradition and Innovation
2.1 Facility Renovation and Spatial Strategy of Yoshiro Taniguchi Architecture
The Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum reopened in April 2025 following renovation, serving as a core facility for this art festival.
Originally opened in 1978 as the “Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum” and renamed in 2013, the museum houses approximately 8,000 ceramic pieces, making it one of Japan’s largest specialized museums.
Facility Composition
- Main Building: Modern architecture designed by Yoshiro Taniguchi (1978), featuring permanent and special exhibition galleries
- Design Aichi: Exhibition facility specializing in industrial design
- Tsukurutoko Ceramics Hall: Ceramic-making facility offering wheel-throwing, hand-building, and painting experiences
- Tosuian: Tea ceremony room presenting connections with tea culture
- Kiln Memory: On-site preservation exhibition of ancient kiln sites
Yoshiro Taniguchi (1904–1979) was a Professor Emeritus at Keio University and a leading figure in Japanese modernist architecture, known for designing the Crown Prince’s Palace (now Akasaka Palace).
The main building features exhibition space design that effectively incorporates natural light, optimized for expressing ceramic textures.
2.2 Exhibition Development by 13 Artists in Specialized Ceramic Facilities
At the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, 13 artists will exhibit works utilizing the renovated main building, “Design Aichi,” “Tsukurutoko Ceramics Hall,” the tea room “Tosuian,” and the lawn area.
Curator Kiyoaki Irisawa has organized exhibitions exploring the boundary areas of ceramics, including “Genius Shindo Tsuji’s Ceramic Sculpture—From Forms That Are Not Ceramics” (2020) and “Contemporary Thoughts on Ceramics—Inside⇄Outside—” (2022).
This art festival is expected to develop the following approaches with themes of contemporary interpretation of traditional materials and techniques:
Anticipated Exhibition Strategies
- Collection Dialogue-Type Exhibitions: Attempting transcendent dialogue between the museum’s ancient ceramics collection and contemporary works
- Material Research Approach: Presenting site-specific works exploring the physical properties of Seto clay
- Deconstruction of Techniques: Reinterpreting glaze technology and firing processes in the context of contemporary art
2.3 Experiential Programs and Professional Educational Development
Expertise of Tsukurutoko Ceramics Hall
- Electric Wheel Experience: Experience centrifugal force control techniques using professional equipment
- Hand-Building and Painting: Understanding the integrated production process from forming to decoration
- Firing Observation: Observing temperature curves and kiln transformation phenomena in oxidation and reduction firing
Industrial Collaboration at Design Aichi
- Presenting connections with Seto City’s insulator industry and fine ceramics technology
- Exploring boundary areas between industrial design and artistic expression
- Utilizing material library functions for product designers
3. Seto City | Contemporary Transformation of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns
3.1 Millennium of History and Cultural Influence
Seto City, as a pottery center continuing since the Heian period, was designated as a Japan Heritage site in 2017 as one of Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns (Seto, Tokoname, Echizen, Shigaraki, Tamba, Bizen).
The fact that the word “setomono” became a common noun for ceramics in general demonstrates the enormous cultural influence of this region.
Historical Development
- Heian Period: Inherited Sanage kiln techniques and began producing ash-glazed ceramics
- Kamakura Period: Established Ko-Seto glazed ceramics
- Muromachi-Sengoku Period: “Seto Mountain Dispersion” led many potters to migrate to the Mino region
- Edo Period: Seto kilns revived through Tokugawa Ieyasu’s “Potter Recall” (around 1610)
- Meiji Period: Introduced porcelain production technology and developed as an export industry
- Showa Period: Novelty production reached its peak (1970s)
- Heisei-Reiwa: Technology transfer to fine ceramics and insulator industries progressed
3.2 Traditional Craft Designation and Production Area Characteristics
Seto City has two designated traditional crafts.
Akatsu-yaki: Designated 1977
- Production Area: Akatsu district in eastern Seto City
- Characteristics: Seven types of glazes (ash glaze, iron glaze, Ko-Seto glaze, Ki-Seto glaze, Shino glaze, Oribe glaze, Ofuke glaze) and 12 decorative techniques
- History: Kiln opened in the Heian period, first among Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns to establish glazing techniques
- Technical Significance: Glaze technology system established in early Edo period, with decorative techniques such as stamping, slip-trailing, scraping, and line carving developing
Seto Sometsuke-yaki: Designated 1997
- Production Area: Seto City and Owariasahi City area
- Characteristics: Transparent white body decorated with indigo blue painting using gosu (cobalt pigment)
- Materials: Uses local raw materials such as Motoyama Kibushi clay, Motoyama Gairome clay, and Sanage feldspar
- History: Developed through fusion of porcelain firing technology brought from Kyushu in early 19th century and Chinese-style painting techniques
- Features: Unique sometsuke techniques realistically depicting Seto’s natural landscapes
3.3 World-Class Clay Resources and Material Advantages
Around Seto City, geological formations called the “Seto Group” from the Neogene Miocene period (approximately 15 million years ago) are distributed, producing the following excellent clay resources:
Major Clay Resources
- 1. Kibushi Clay: Rich in plasticity with high whiteness, used as the main raw material for porcelain
- 2. Gairome Clay: Low iron content fires white, suitable for both pottery and porcelain
- 3. Sanage Feldspar: Region-specific feldspar serving as the main raw material for glazes
Technology Transfer and Industrial Development
- Insulator Industry: World-leading companies such as NGK Insulators and NGK Insulators are concentrated here
- Fine Ceramics: Applications to semiconductor manufacturing equipment and automotive parts are advancing
- Ceramics Technology: High-temperature firing technology also contributes to aerospace industry development
3.4 Seto Ceramic Art Association and Technical Innovation by Contemporary Artists
The Seto Ceramic Art Association, founded in 1936, is an artist organization with 89 years of history.
Artists who inherit traditional techniques while exploring contemporary expression are engaged in the following technical innovations:
Contemporary Development of Major Techniques
- Nerikomi Technique: Creating geometric patterns by layering and cutting different colored clays (Tomoji Mizuno, among others)
- Hyōretsu Kannyū (Ice Crack Crazing): Designing glaze cracks into patterns, diversifying expression through temperature and time control (Miho Yanagimoto, among others)
- Hotaru-de Technique: Translucent expression through ultra-thin forming, with combinations using LED light sources (Hiroshi Taruda, among others)
- Seto Sometsuke: Developing traditional gosu painting into abstract expression, introducing multi-layer techniques (Shizuka Morimoto, among others)
4. Hoor Al Qasimi’s International Perspective
4.1 Track Record and Influence as Curator
Hoor Al Qasimi was ranked #1 in the British art magazine ArtReview’s “Power 100” announced in December 2024.
This ranking, based on opinions from 40 art experts worldwide, selects the 100 most influential individuals over the past 12 months, proving her global influence.
Major Achievements
- Sharjah Art Foundation: Established 2009. As President and Director, promoting art support in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia
- Sharjah Biennial: Serving as Director since the 6th edition in 2003, curating “Thinking Historically in the Present” for the 15th edition in 2023
- International Biennial Association (IBA): As President since 2017, coordinating global biennial networks
- Sydney Biennial 2026: Appointed as Artistic Director (scheduled for 2026)
- Aichi Triennale 2025: First curation in Japan as Artistic Director
4.2 Craft Interpretation of “A Time Between Ashes and Roses”
The art festival theme “A Time Between Ashes and Roses” draws inspiration from the poetry collection “A Time Between Ashes and Roses” (1970) by Syrian-born poet Adonis (1930–).
Following the Third Arab-Israeli War of 1967, Adonis examined war-induced environmental destruction from a geological time axis, presenting a cyclical temporal view in which “roses” (blossoming) follow “ashes” (destruction).
Multi-Layered Resonance with Ceramic Production Process
1. Ash as Material
- Ash (wood ash, straw ash, bone ash), the main component of glazes, is a fundamental material in ceramic production
- In Seto City’s industrial history, the sky darkened by ceramic production has been remembered as a “symbol of prosperity”
- Ash glaze is Japan’s oldest glazing technique, established at Sanage kilns in the Heian period
2. Transformation Through Firing
- Clay and glaze chemically bond through reduction firing at 1200–1300°C, acquiring new physical properties
- Kiln transformation phenomena through control of oxidizing and reducing flames are positioned “between” chance and necessity
- “Nerashi” (high-temperature maintenance process) for glaze maturation takes on aspects of temporal art
3. Geological Temporality
- Ceramics possess semi-permanent preservation, recording human history across archaeological timespans
- Clay mineral deposition age (approximately 15 million years ago) intersects with human creative time
- Provides perspective relativizing anthropocentrism in Anthropocene critique
4.3 Dialogue Potential Between Middle Eastern and Japanese Craft Cultures
The appointment of Hoor Al Qasimi provides an opportunity to re-evaluate Japanese ceramic culture from a Global South perspective.
Connections with Islamic Cultural Sphere
- Persian Ceramics: Lusterware and mina’i techniques featuring metallic luster decoration
- Turkish Ceramics: Characterized by vibrant blue and green glazes seen in Iznik tiles
- Syrian Ceramics: Known for Raqqa kiln green-glazed ceramics and geometric patterns
Decolonization Approach
- Breaking free from Eurocentric contemporary art discourse
- Re-evaluating indigenous knowledge systems and craft techniques
- Visualizing tensions between “tradition and innovation” in non-Western contexts
5. Industry Collaboration and Economic Impact Analysis
5.1 Regional Branding Strategy and Role of Industrial Organizations
Major Industrial Organizations
- Seto-yaki Promotion Association: Responsible for publicity, technical succession, and market development of Seto-yaki
- Aichi Ceramic Industry Cooperative Association: Promotes joint orders, technical guidance, and quality control for manufacturers
- Seto Sometsuke-yaki Industrial Cooperative: 21 members (as of 2017) engaged in preservation of traditional techniques and successor training
- Akatsu-yaki Industrial Cooperative: Kiln organization in Akatsu district, inheriting seven glaze techniques
Collaboration Effects with International Art Festival
- 1. Increased Recognition: Enhancing international recognition of “Seto Ceramic” brand through overseas media exposure
- 2. Visualization of Technical Capabilities: Demonstrating technical potential through fusion of traditional techniques and contemporary art
- 3. Network Building: Creating direct connections with overseas curators, collectors, and galleries
5.2 Synergistic Effects with Tourism Industry and Tourism Strategy
Components of craft tourism include foundational viewing facilities such as Setogura Museum, Seto City Shinseki Craft Museum, and Shino Ceramic Center.
Additionally, authentic pottery-making and painting experience programs at Tsukurutoko Ceramics Hall deepen visitor understanding, while “Ceramic Plaza” on the second floor of Setogura provides purchasing opportunities for artist works and regional products.
Furthermore, spatial memories of “setomono” culture accumulated in the region, such as the Kamagaki Path and ceramic bridge railings, enhance stay value as landscape resources.
In capturing inbound demand, it is important to target wealthy individuals from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Korea for craft purchases, appeal to European and American collector segments with high interest in “Japanese Ceramics,” and strategically approach Middle Eastern markets centered on GCC countries utilizing Hoor Al Qasimi’s network.
Economic impact estimates project approximately 500,000 visitors based on past performance, direct economic effect of approximately 5 billion yen, ripple economic effect of approximately 12 billion yen, and media exposure value equivalent to approximately 3 billion yen.
5.3 Industry-Academia Collaboration Model with Educational Institutions
Ceramic and craft educational institutions in Aichi Prefecture include Aichi Prefectural Seto Ceramic High School’s Ceramic Design Department and Ceramics Department, ceramics and glass courses at Nagoya University of the Arts, ceramic major at Aichi University of the Arts, and three-dimensional expression area at Nagoya Zokei University of Art & Design.
Collaboration program possibilities include implementing the “hope Exhibition” (Selected Student Exhibition of Aichi’s Ceramic and Glass Craft Educational Institutions) as a presentation opportunity for students, internships as international art festival operations staff, artist-in-residence programs with collaborative production between overseas artists and students, and establishing technical training through professional workshops to learn cutting-edge techniques.
6. Related Projects and Partnership Programs
6.1 Synergistic Effects with Concurrent Exhibitions
The Shunto Kato 110th Birth Anniversary Exhibition will be held at the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, coordinated with the art festival period. As a retrospective of a representative Seto ceramicist, it presents the context of regional ceramic history, clearly connecting tradition and contemporary.
Shunto Kato (1915–2003) graduated from Aichi Prefectural Ceramic School and is known for contemporarily sublimating Seto’s traditional techniques.
The Seto City Museum of Art will hold the “Original Landscape of Seto” exhibition, showing the relationship between Seto’s natural environment and pottery industry before industrialization through historical materials including old photographs, kiln tools, and mining equipment.
This presents a contrasting historical axis to the international art festival theme “A Time Between Ashes and Roses,” deepening understanding.
The hope Exhibition “Selected Student Exhibition of Aichi’s Ceramic and Glass Craft Educational Institutions” will include participation from Aichi Prefectural Seto Ceramic High School, Nagoya University of the Arts, Aichi University of the Arts, and Nagoya Zokei University of Art & Design, promoting discovery and cultivation of next-generation artists and strengthening collaboration among educational institutions. The exhibition venue is Seto City Shinseki Craft Museum.
6.2 Networking of Regional Collaboration Facilities
Setogura Museum comprehensively introduces the history of Seto-yaki, displaying restored coal kilns and approximately 1,000 tools.
Experience programs for sometsuke and painting are also available, and Ceramic Plaza on the second floor sells artist works and regional products.
Seto City Shinseki Craft Museum, as a cultivation base for young ceramicists, features rental studios and gallery functions, operating a three-year resident artist system through public recruitment.
Resident artist works are also exhibited and sold, serving as a core for industry-academia-regional collaboration.
Shino Ceramic Center is located in Shino-cho, Seto City, exhibiting and selling works by kilns and artists from the Shino district.
Shino has been one of the centers of Akatsu-yaki since the Edo period, embodying the multilayered history of the production area.
Kamagaki Path extends around Nakabora-cho and Kama-cho, Seto City, forming a landscape with approximately 400m of walls built from kiln tools such as saggers and engoro.
Designated as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure), it is a valuable tourism asset where visitors can experience spatial memories of “setomono” culture.
6.3 Technical Collaboration with Industrial Support Organizations
Aichi Center for Industry and Science Technology provides industrial technical support, testing and analysis, and technical consultation. In the ceramic field, it conducts glaze analysis, firing tests, and physical property evaluation.
Joint research on new material development and environmental adaptation technology is also expected.
Seto Ceramic Technology Center (established 1921, formerly Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Testing Institute) provides technical guidance, research, and human resource development, equipped with facilities including XRF (X-ray fluorescence analyzer), thermal analyzer, and various firing kilns.
It provides support for glaze formulation, firing condition optimization, and quality control.
Collaboration with Tokoname Ceramic Technology Center advances technical support and information exchange for Tokoname-yaki (unglazed fired ceramics).
The technical complementary relationship between Seto (glazed ceramics) and Tokoname (fired ceramics) enhances the competitiveness of the entire pottery cluster in Aichi Prefecture.
7. Future Outlook and Recommendations for Craft Industry
7.1 Long-Term Impact Prediction and Legacy Building
In the future, establishing permanent international networks with the Sharjah Art Foundation and International Academy of Ceramics (IAC), advancing institutionalization of artist-in-residence programs accepting overseas artists. Additionally, aiming for market expansion and international recognition through joint exhibitions at international trade fairs such as Maison & Objet (Paris) and Ambiente (Frankfurt).
In terms of technological innovation, nanoceramics utilizing nanoparticles for new textures, bioceramics expected to expand into medical fields, environmentally adaptive glazes for energy-saving low-temperature firing below 1000°C, and ceramic 3D printing realizing complex shapes will become important.
For establishing sustainable crafts, operation of electric kilns utilizing renewable energy and carbon neutralization, reuse of recycled clay and waste glass in glazes, and introduction of circular systems including crushing and recycling of defective products are required.
7.2 Industrial Challenges and Specific Countermeasures
Challenge ①: Shortage of Successors
The number of ceramic businesses in Seto City has drastically decreased from 1,666 in 1978 to 189 in 2013.
Countermeasures include strengthening nationwide recruitment for Aichi Prefectural Seto Ceramic High School, expanding the resident artist system at Seto City Shinseki Craft Museum.
Additionally, independence support through low-interest financing and workshop matching, and promotion of UI-turn through relocation support funds and housing support are effective.
Challenge ②: Competitiveness in International Markets
Amid severe price competition with Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese products, it is important to strengthen storytelling of thousand-year history and artisan techniques to convey value.
Combining high value-added products through art works and limited editions, providing experiential value such as workshop visits and dialogue with artists, and digital marketing utilizing SNS, EC, and influencers.
Challenge ③: Adaptation to Digitalization
Against the current situation of delayed information technology utilization due to aging, cultivating digital talent through government-led training, and jointly constructing unified EC platforms for the entire production area.
Development of VR workshop tour systems and introduction of blockchain-based authenticity certification are also initiatives that improve credibility.
7.3 Policy Recommendations | Toward Sustainable Development of Craft Industry
Recommendation ①: Enhancement of Craft Industry Support Measures
Strengthening tax incentives based on the Law Concerning the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries, expanding subsidies for equipment investment, overseas expansion, and successor training, establishing special financing frameworks through Japan Finance Corporation, and strengthening intellectual property protection including support for obtaining regional collective trademarks and geographical indications (GI).
Recommendation ②: Promotion of International Exchange Programs
Expanding craft field slots in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Cultural Envoy Program, strengthening the positioning of ceramics in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Japanese culture introduction projects.
Combining municipality-level sister city exchanges and JETRO’s overseas market research and business negotiation support for effective international expansion.
Recommendation ③: Reconstruction of Educational System
Making regional craft experiential learning mandatory in elementary and junior high schools, enriching traditional technology curricula in technical high schools.
Establishing joint research projects between art universities and production areas, and arranging recurrent education for working adults (weekend ceramics classes, etc.) to expand opportunities for re-learning.
8. Resources and Access Information for Practitioners
8.1 Venue Access and Surrounding Facilities
Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum
- Address: 234 Minamiyamaguchi-cho, Seto City, Aichi Prefecture 489-0965
- Phone: 0561-84-7474
- Access: Linimo (Higashikyuryo Line) “Toji Shiryokan Minami” Station, approximately 600m walk
Bus approximately 15 minutes from Meitetsu Seto Line “Owari Seto” Station
Approximately 7 minutes by car from Tokai-Kanjo Expressway “Seto Akatsu IC” - Hours: 9:30–17:00 (until end of September), 9:30–16:30 (October onwards)
- Closed: Mondays (following Tuesday if holiday) *Open September 16, November 25
- Admission: Adults 1,000 yen, University students 800 yen (Art festival passport accepted)
Downtown Seto City Venues
- Central Area: Around Seto City Ginza Street Shopping District, Seto Suehiro-cho Shopping District
- Main Venues: Seto City Museum of Art (113-3 Nishihorikawa-cho, Seto City)
Seto City Shinseki Craft Museum (81-2 Minaminakanokiri-cho, Seto City)
Former Seto City Fukagawa Elementary School (28 Nakabora-cho, Seto City) - Access: 5-15 minutes walk from Meitetsu Seto Line “Owari Seto” Station
- Hours: 10:00–17:00
- Closed: Tuesdays (following Wednesday if holiday) *Open November 25
Aichi Arts Center
- Address: 1-13-2 Higashisakura, Higashi-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture 461-8525
- Access: Directly connected to Subway Higashiyama Line/Meijo Line “Sakae” Station, via Oasis 21 underground passage
- Hours: 10:00–18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays)
- Closed: Mondays (following Tuesday if holiday)
8.2 Related Links and Information Sources
Official Sites
- Aichi Triennale 2025: https://aichitriennale.jp/en/
- Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum: https://www.pref.aichi.jp/touji/english/
- Seto City Tourism Information: http://www.seto-marutto.info/en/
Industrial Organizations
- Seto-yaki Promotion Association
- Aichi Ceramic Industry Cooperative Association
- Seto Ceramic Art Association
- Seto Sometsuke-yaki Industrial Cooperative
- Akatsu-yaki Industrial Cooperative
Educational Institutions
- Aichi Prefectural Seto Ceramic High School: http://www.setoyogyo-h.aichi-c.ed.jp/
- Nagoya University of the Arts: https://www.nua.ac.jp/en/
- Aichi University of the Arts: https://www.aichi-fam-u.ac.jp/en/
Technical Support Organizations
- Aichi Center for Industry and Science Technology: https://www.aichi-inst.jp/en/
- Seto Ceramic Technology Center (Aichi Center for Industry and Science Technology Seto Ceramic Testing Station): https://www.aichi-inst.jp/en/seto/
Related Facilities
- Setogura Museum: https://www.setogura-museum.jp/museum/
- Seto City Shinseki Craft Museum: https://www.seto-cul.jp/new-century/
- Seto City Museum of Art: https://www.seto-cul.jp/seto-museum/
Conclusion | Catalyst for Paradigm Shift in Craft Industry
Aichi Triennale 2025 brings a historical turning point where traditional crafts and contemporary art intersect in Seto, the pottery capital with a thousand-year history.
Artistic Director Hoor Al Qasimi’s international perspective re-evaluates Japanese ceramic culture from a Global South context, introducing a value system different from Eurocentric art discourse.
At the Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, utilizing the spatial qualities of Yoshiro Taniguchi architecture, works by 13 contemporary artists dialogue with one of Japan’s finest ceramic collections. In downtown Seto City, using industrial heritage and craft-related facilities as venues, visualizing region-specific materials, techniques, and history on an international platform.
The theme “A Time Between Ashes and Roses” holds multilayered meanings including material transformation, intermediate states of creation and destruction through firing, and the intersection of geological temporality with human creative time. The resonance between poet Adonis’s poetry and Seto’s industrial history memory of “ash-like black sky = symbol of prosperity” provides perspective relativizing anthropocentrism in Anthropocene critique.
For craft industry professionals, this art festival provides the following strategic opportunities:
- Technological Innovation: Exploring new expressive territories through application of traditional techniques to contemporary art
- Market Development: Access to emerging markets utilizing Global South networks
- Human Resource Development: Next-generation cultivation models learning from international curatorial practice
- Branding: Expanding the meaning of “setomono” from daily items to artistic expression
- Industry Collaboration: Synergistic effects with derivative fields such as fine ceramics and insulator industries
Particularly important is redefining the value of traditional techniques in the digital age. By fusing technologies such as 3D scanning, AI analysis, and NFT authentication with thousand-year-old handcraft techniques, crafts can acquire new market value and cultural significance. Digital strategies including cross-border EC, SNS marketing, and virtual exhibitions become effective means of building international presence beyond geographical constraints.
The future challenge is how to transform the legacy of this art festival into a permanent industrial promotion system. It is necessary to accumulate concrete action plans such as institutionalization of artist-in-residence programs, joint exhibitions at international trade fairs, and strengthening industry-academia collaboration with educational institutions. Four-party collaboration among government, industrial organizations, educational institutions, and artists in constructing a sustainable craft ecosystem will determine the region’s future.
Aichi Triennale 2025 is not merely a cultural event. It is a strategic experimental field for Japanese traditional crafts to survive and develop in 21st-century global society. Reinterpreting techniques and materials cultivated over a thousand years in the context of contemporary art, and passing them on to the next millennium—we are about to witness this historic mission.
Disclaimer
This article is based on official announcements and public information, but exhibition content and operational structure may change during the festival period.
For the latest information, please check the official site Aichi Triennale 2025 (https://aichitriennale.jp/en/).
