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Chiba Prefecture 150th Anniversary Project General Director Fram Kitagawa

———Please tell us how you became involved in Hyakunengo Art Festival.

In fact, I have a strange connection with Chiba Prefecture, and when I was a high school student, I lived in Shimousa-Nakayama for nearly half a year. A long time later, the Ichihara Lakeside Museum was going to be renovated, and I was consulted about how to do the renovation. Although it is a small museum, I believe that it has held exhibitions that have received high praise nationwide. Despite this, I wondered if it would be possible to hold the same art festival that I had been doing in other regions in Chiba, so I held Ichihara Art x Mix.

In particular, I was trying to think about various things through Kominato Railway. "Ichihara Art × Mix" was not only about art, but also about local life, scenery, and food.

Basically, when it comes to art festivals, my stance is not to choose a region where I say, "Let's do it here!" The Ichihara Lakeside Museum is located in Satoyama in the southern part of Ichihara City. The southern part of the country has half the area, but only a fraction of the population. The whole of Chiba Prefecture is really rich in nature, and there are many things to do, but the southern part of Ichihara is extremely depopulated. That is why I have no choice but to think about what I can do to revitalize such an area while working as an art museum. I was very grateful that I was able to get it from there.

———Please tell us what kind of art you plan to develop at Hyakunengo Art Festival.

The “Hyakunengo Art Festival” is based on the research I have been doing with “Ichihara Art x Mix”. As I toured the area, I was surprised to find that the people of Chiba want to find value in their long history, agriculture, and a lifestyle centered on fishing. Chiba as a whole is a very large land, and the governor and other people feel that agriculture and fishery are the base of Chiba Prefecture.

The Uchiboso Art Festival wants to bring out the genes of Chiba from the old days, such as agriculture. Kisarazu is close to Tokyo, Kawasaki, and Yokohama since the Showa era, and has a very busy history. There were nearly 4,000 people in Kisarazu Hanamachi at that time, and the watchman from that time still remains. I was a little surprised that Kisarazu City wanted to turn the Showa retro town, which was rich and energetic at the time, into a stage for art. A kenban means that when a customer comes to the store, he or she will direct the visit, saying, "That geisha is in that store," or "That geisha is in this store." That kind of kenban building is still there, and I still hold lessons there several times a month. It seems that there are still some left. There aren't many other places like that. There was a time when Kisarazu was extremely prosperous, and the vestiges of the town from that time still remain in front of Kisarazu Station, which is interesting.

———From your experiences with “Ichihara Art x Mix,” please tell us what aspects of Chiba's appeal and potential as a place for artistic expression you find.

Japan revised the Culture and Arts Basic Law in 2017. Among them, the importance of art festivals and Japanese food related to the region was included. Until now, food has not been part of the culture, but the important thing about food is that it is rich, that it is nutritionally balanced because it is in season, and that the appearance and serving method are creative with color in mind. From these points, Japanese food is important (as a culture) from a global perspective. These are the perfect themes for Chiba Prefecture.

Governor Kumagai says, "Chiba is a microcosm of Japan," but to put it another way, I think it's like "Hokkaido is next to Tokyo" (laughs). In the sense that it is spacious, rich in nature, and has a lot of delicious food.

Also, what you really understand when you come by Aqualine is the proximity of Miura Peninsula and Chiba Prefecture. You can see well that Minamoto no Yoritomo came to Chiba and revived. It's closer and richer than going to other areas. I feel like I can understand that the Satomi family of Satomi Hakkenden has been working hard in Chiba to create another kingdom. Even in the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate had most of it under direct control, and I feel that Chiba Prefecture is a really important land, including that.

———On the other hand, are there any issues that you feel you have to deal with in Chiba?

The problem in Chiba is that although it is close to Tokyo, the population in rural areas is rapidly declining, and schools are being consolidated. If the population decreases, the community will not be established. It's a big deal and I think it's a challenge that we have to work hard on.

Looking at the world as a whole, it can be said that population decline is desirable. I'm afraid of the population explosion. However, it is difficult because the places that have come up with high economic growth so far are suddenly withering due to population decline, and we have to solve that problem. We are faced with the issue of how to create a community and live a prosperous life while the population is declining. “Ichihara Art x Mix” is also the first departure. For many years, I have been working very carefully with the people of Satoyama Rengo. My understanding of art has changed considerably from 10 years ago. I feel like it's finally taking root in the community, and Ichihara as a whole has changed a lot, such as school art teachers coming to work together.

Also, there are quite a lot of foreign workers in the Ichihara area, and I have invited artists from China, South Korea, the Philippines, Brazil, and Vietnam to hold workshops. As you can see, there are various issues facing the city as a whole, and I thought it would be nice if I could get involved in those issues, but after about 10 years, things started to take shape little by little. . The president of Kominato Railway was also dumbfounded at first, but he seems to have changed his mind a lot. I'm happy.

———What kind of impact do you expect this art festival to have on Japanese society and the cultural scene?

The goals of the 20th century have been equality of opportunity, democracy, and the ability to have the same experience wherever you are. It is a white box-shaped gallery called White Cube. Whether it was in Ichihara, Tokyo or New York, it was important that the works all looked the same. In fact, this sense of value does not come from museums, but from architecture, and Tokyo and Chiba, New York and Johannesburg all have the same scenery. One of my goals was to create the same landscape, but in reality the city is a mess, and that didn't produce good results. We have entered an era of mass production and mass consumption, where we have no choice but to kick everyone and get on the rails, competition, stimulation, and so on. When I do that, I come to think that this is not really the reality we live in.

I think it's desirable to have a situation in which each person can make a living through their own efforts, and I think that's what leads to a sense of fulfillment. I think that art should be something that serves as a base for such things.

It is not good to solve the exams of British Mathematical Institute and increase the average score and deviation value, but from now on it is meaningless to live a way of life that is determined by each individual's way of thinking and feeling, and to take responsibility. I don't think so. I think that the most important values are to be able to live in any place, and to be protected by the local people. . The goodness of satoyama and satoumi still remains in Chiba. And since there were no large domains even in the Edo period, I think it would be good to have a community with appropriate regional units. I think that is the best feature.

———What kind of future do you want in 100 years?

To be honest, I'm only thinking about today and tomorrow, so I can't think of anything beyond that. At the most, I'm just thinking about the framework of the art festival two years from now, and realistically, I'm all about today and tomorrow. An art festival wants to do something important for the long-term growth of the region, so in the end it probably means thinking about the future. I think people who think 100 years ahead are admirable. Now, many people are desperate about how to live from now on. Because many things have changed. Under such circumstances, I think it is very important for everyone to think about how they should live.

text: Kana Yokota