Bonsai - Deepening Roots on Megijima (Setouchi Triennale 2019)

Today, we're going back to 2019 to discuss a project I really liked, as well as a few more thoughts on certain aspects of the Setouchi Triennale.

As you may have guessed, Bonsai: Deepening Roots revolved around bonsai. It was organized and managed by Setouchi Cogeiz and Masashi Hirao.

• Setouchi Cogeiz is (was?) a group of local designers. I wonder if it's a "was" because their website doesn't seem to have been updated since around 2022.
• Masashi Hirao is a "young" local bonsai master whose work focuses on modernizing the art form in various ways. It's strange that he hasn't been active online since last spring. I hope he's okay.

The project was a follow-up to a previous one for the Setouchi Triennale 2016 called "Feel Feel Bonsai," which was located in the same building on Megijima.
Unfortunately, the project did not continue after 2019. The pandemic may (or may not?) have played a part in that; it derailed a lot of things all over the world, including on the islands and with the art festival. In 2022, the building was used for another installation, but it wasn't used at all in 2025.

Before I show you more, I want to mention something I love about the Triennale that has slowly been disappearing, which makes me sad. As you know, the Setouchi Triennale is primarily an art festival. While it has many temporary installations, it also has many permanent ones, grouped under the name Art Setouchi. It also includes a few ongoing projects.

When I discovered the festival in 2010, I fell in love with it for various reasons. One of those reasons was the ongoing projects. I thought then (and I still do, albeit with less hope) that these projects were essential to truly changing and transforming the islands into "art islands". Yes, I know, Naoshima is known worldwide as THE "Art Island," but I'm personally more inclined to call it a "museum island." The island is full of art, but the art is merely displayed there; it's not integrated into the fabric of the island.

Those ongoing projects had the potential to truly turn the islands into places where artists and craftspeople could work, live, teach and more. This could have transformed and revitalized the islands in ways related to art that are not dependent on tourism.
Perhaps this was part of the original idea when the Triennale began, but external factors, especially economic ones, made it unrealistic. I'm not sure.

Still, such projects exist, but not enough in my opinion. The ones that are currently active are:

• Naoshima
  • Naoshima Bath "I love Yu"
  • The Naoshima Plan (sort of)
• Teshima
  • Shima Kitchen
• Megijima
  • Island Theatre Megi (which is occasionally open for some events)
• Shodoshima
  • Julio Goya's art is always evolving and could almost qualify, but his art remains "separate" from the community where it's located.
• Oshima
  • Café Shiroyu
• Awashima
  • Sokosoko Sozosho
  • Missing Post Office (although it's been independent from Art Setouchi for a few years now)
  • Awashima Artist Village may also somewhat qualify.

I think these are the only ones at the moment. Even among those, one could argue that only Naoshima Bath, Shima Kitchen, and Café Shiroyu fit the description of an "ongoing project that is part of and changes the community."

There used to be more, but unfortunately, they have ended. Anyone who knows Ogijima is still sad about the closure of Onba Factory in 2022 because it really represented the idea I'm discussing here more than anything else. It closed because its director and main artist, Yoshifumi Oshima, is not that young anymore and decided to retire. It's a decision that makes everyone sad but that everyone who knows him understands. Team OGI still officially exists, but its original project (painting the fishing boats) ended, and its most recent project (Takotsuburu) is static.

Some have the potential to be the kind of project I'm talking about, but for various reasons (primarily budget and staffing) they only open during the Setouchi Triennale. Examples include Maison de Urushi on Ogijima, the Little Shops on Megijima, and Utopia Dungeon on Shodoshima, among others.

Paradoxically, the Setouchi Triennale's success may create fewer incentives for ongoing projects being active at times when there are few visitors. I'm not sure. In any case, remember that while Benesse owns and controls the art on Naoshima, Inujima, and parts of Teshima, all the other projects are often managed independently from each other, and even have different owners (even though they're all under the same "umbrella"). Also, each community on each island is different and cares differently about the art happening in their villages. In other words, the reasons for the lack of such projects can differ from situation to situation.

All of this is to say that Bonsai - Deepening Roots had the potential to be a similar project (I thought it would be when it was revived in 2019, especially under that name) but, it was not meant to be. It would have been amazing to have a "bonsai gallery" on Megijima, coupled with a shop and a bonsai school.

Anyway, it's time to talk about it a little bit.

I think the best way to describe it is "bonsai gallery," indeed.

It was located in a building near the beach. It's probably one of the most beautiful buildings on the island, because it used to be a traditional tea house. It was only traditional in style, as the building was built in the 1950s, it was not that old and was in good condition overall.

The rest of the article is for members-only, but it's free to subscribe and I more than invite you to do it (you can also become a paying subscriber and support my work if you can afford it). I hate doing this, but it's necessary in this day and age when you want to limit the number of unwanted visitors, especially those of the AI kind!