Kenpoku Art 2016! is one of the latest projects to appear in an area for which art has been a relatively niche concern. Despite the fact that Okakura Tenshin, one of the central figures of Japanese art history, set up shop in Ibaraki Prefecture in 1906, and Art Tower Mito consistently provides top-class exhibitions, Ibaraki mostly has a reputation for being a no-nonsense, conservative farming heartland. Parts of the prefecture continue to thrive on agriculture, but many small towns are struggling with problems of aging populations and infrastructure.
Viewed in the most utilitarian way, Kenpoku Art 2016 is a hook onto which hopes of revitalizing local economies are being hitched, and there is always a tension between art being accessible and provocative with this kind of event. While looking at an installation of fluorescent chandeliers titled "Crystal Palace: The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nuclear Nations," I overheard an older local resident complain that she didn't understand what it was for and that somebody should be there to explain it.
Ironically, the exhibits generally do have staff on hand to provide context, and in the case of the luminescent piece by Ken and Julia Yonetani, the invigilator had just briefly popped out of the room. By contrast, in some cases you may find yourself pounced on and told what to think before even having the chance to take in what you're looking at.