In an era of relentless urbanization, global travel and weightless images, the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale has pioneered a ground-breaking model of place-based art curation that aims to cast a little edifying rural grit into the oyster of contemporary urban affluence. Centred on a declining, depopulating mountainous area of Niigata Prefecture around Tokamachi city, the project aims to bring people, energy, ideas, money, and ultimately pride to the region, using contemporary art as its chief instrument.

Art Place Japan: The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale and the Vision to Reconnect Art and Nature, by Fram Kitagawa (Translated by Amiko Matsuo and Brad Monsma)
304 pages
Princeton Architectural Press, Nonfiction.