The Biwako Biennale Shows Shiga's Strong Artistic Pulse

It still surprises me writing about it now that somewhere as local as Omi Hachiman has a world class art installation event. The Biwako Biennale (‘Biwako’ is the Japanese name for Shiga’s Lake Biwa) just finished its sixth run, and of the last three I’ve seen, this time I was most impressed. A good sign for its future.

The Biennale hosted a number of exhibits all dotted in and around the old Hachiman Bori area. This backdrop of traditional time-worn locations bringing forth fresh creativity via intriguing (almost symbiotic) displays worked really well. The effect was especially magnified for me going on a quiet weekday as it felt like I’d walked in on new and quirky life forms burgeoning from the slowly decomposing structures that still gave an air of homely warmth and care.

Here are a collection of photos from the day. One of the biggest highlights was the old disused sake factory that housed many of the pieces in its nooks and crannies that were fun to explore. It was also great to see numerous Shiga artists stand out so well amongst such highly talented work. Bring on 2016.

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