By KAZUO MATSUURA/ Staff Writer
November 11, 2022 at 07:00 JST
Ken Yonetani and his wife Julia at a venue in Omi-Hachiman, Shiga Prefecture, where chandeliers they created to represent the number of nuclear power plants in any one country hang from the ceiling (Kazuo Matsuura)
OMI-HACHIMAN, Shiga Prefecture--Works created by 69 artists from home and overseas are showcased at the 10th Biwako Biennale being held here and in neighboring Hikone through Nov. 27.
First staged in 2001 in Otsu, the international art festival has mainly been held here every two years since its second installment.
This year, artworks are being displayed at 35 venues, including historic buildings.
A room in Machiya Club, an old sake brewery here, features six chandeliers made using uranium glass by Ken Yonetani and his wife Julia. Glowing in greenish-yellow under ultraviolet rays, they come in various sizes based on the number of nuclear power plants in six countries including Russia, China and North Korea.
In another room, Rui Sasaki used about 200 pieces of phosphorescent glass to express dripping water to show appreciation for the substance.
Also at Machiya Club, Taira Ichikawa’s contribution features 40 or so outdoor units used for air conditioners that are punched with small holes across the surface to create a mysterious mood with constantly moving and intensity-changing lights.
Okishima island in Lake Biwako and the Toriimoto-juku post station along the old Nakasendo route are also being used as exhibition sites this year.
On Okishima, art pieces are exhibited at a pier, on abandoned ships, in a fishery cooperative’s working studio and elsewhere.
The venues in Toriimoto-juku includes Omi Railway Corp.’s Toriimoto Station building and the residence of the Arikawa family, which has been involved in producing medicines since the Edo Period (1603-1867).
A joint ticket package for all venues costs 4,500 yen ($31) for adults, 3,500 yen for college and senior high school students. Admission is free for junior high school students and younger children, as well as people with disabilities.
The venues are closed on Wednesdays except on Nov. 23.
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