During the height of the summer session, the number of overseas visitors at the Triennale continues to increase.

The Setouchi Asia Forum was launched during the 2016 Triennale and brought together participants from 10 nations and 26 organizations to discuss and share their understanding of art and local culture as a fundamental force for promoting community development. This year, the second forum will be held with participants from 15 nations and regions and 38 organizations. The four-day program will take place in the Kagawa International Conference Center in Takamatsu and at Fukutake House on Shodoshima.

In particular, the first day of the program, which will be held in the Kagawa International Conference Center, is open to the general public, and the content looks stimulating. Presentations include Why Does the UN Work in Tourism: The Possibility of Cultural Tourism by Musallim Afandiyev (Senior Officer, United Nations World Tourism Organization Business Change), and What Can the Art Festival Do: Beyond the Exhibition by Anthony Gardner (Director, Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford), as well as presentations by people at the forefront of their fields on Why Does China Hold the Art Festival of the Earth?, The Aims of the Singapore Biennale 2019, Thailand Where 3 Biennales Started: What’s Next?, and How to See Away from the Center: Examples from the Renowned Indonesia Art Collective. In addition, the artist Natsuki Ikezawa will give a special lecture titled Is an Art Festival Possible in Okinawa?

The governor of Kagawa, Keizo Hamada and the Triennale’s general producer, Soichiro Fukutake will also speak. The content will increase understanding of the meaning of the Setouchi Triennale and its position within a strong current of the times.