Ogijima is without a doubt my favorite island in the Setouchi area. While I was already enamored with the island before the Setouchi Triennale started, the artworks that can be found there made me love the island even more. Add to that some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet and you get a place that’s unique and wonderful despite its small size.
- Land area: 1,38 km2
- Circumference: 5 km
- Highest Point: 213 m
- Population: 132
It is also the island that has probably benefited the most from the revitalization efforts in the area. The Ogijima that you will discover during your visit has nothing to do with the sleepy island that I discovered in the late 2000s and that was slowly dying.
Thanks to the islanders’ hard work, Ogijima has become attractive enough that it gains new full-time residents on a regular basis. These new residents, in turn, bring their own skills, specialties, and energy to make the island even more attractive, interesting, and sustainable. The island is on the right path not only to survive but possibly even strive in the near future. Don’t forget that the Setouchi Triennale’s mission is not just to create “art islands”. Its main goal is to save this wonderful region that is in danger of dying because it suffers from the triple threat of the general depopulation all over the country, a rural flight that hits the countryside all over the world, and finally “island exodus”, an insular variation of rural flight that accentuates the pattern even more on small islands.
Getting there
The regular way to go to Ogijima is by a ferry called Meon that departs from Takamatsu.
A one-way trip lasts about 40 minutes and costs 510 yen.
Ferries leave every two hours. On even-numbered hours to Ogijima from Takamatsu (from 8 am to 6 pm) and odd-numbered hours from Ogijma to Takamatsu (from 7 am to 5 pm).
Getting around Ogijima
While you can rent electrical bicycles on the islands, you cannot use them inside the village where most of the art is located. They will only be useful if you want to quickly reach the island’s lighthouse located at the northern end of the island.
Inside the village, the only way to get around is to walk. Wear comfortable shoes, the village is built on the side of a hill, and some streets can be steep.
Art on Ogijima
Here is a list of all the artworks that you can find on Ogijima.
Some are permanent, some are only accessible during the Setouchi Triennale.
Most indoor artworks are open from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, every day during the Setouchi Triennale. They are closed in-between seasonal sessions. In-between festivals, some can be open on specific dates.
The entrance fee for indoor artwork usually costs 300 yen without a Triennale Passport. The first visit is free with a Passport, and any subsequent visit is 200 yen. Entrance is free for children and teenagers younger than 16.
Outside of the Setouchi Triennale, only some artworks are open and only on selected dates (with the exception of outdoor artworks).
Legend:
- og01: The code above the name of the artwork is its official number during the festival.
- 🟢: Permanent outdoor artworks that are usually free to access.
- 🔵: Indoor artworks with limited access, and usually an entrance fee (see paragraph above). These locations may or may not be available outside of the Setouchi Triennale.
Port and Village
og01
Ogijima’s Soul
Jaume Plensa (2010)
- 🟢 Open every day from 6.30 am to 5.00 pm.
- Jaume Plensa online: Site
Review: The building is wonderful. I just can’t get tired of it. Note that it is not only art but also a visitor center where one can find information, souvenirs, ferry tickets, and more.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
og05
Project for wall painting in lane, Ogijima Wallalley
Rikuji Makabe (2010)
- 🟢 Outdoor art – free access
- Rikuji Makabe online: Facebook
Review: I love those walls, spread out all over the village and that gives it a more lively and colorful tint here and there. Art that fits and becomes part of its environment is always the best.
There are seven locations all over the village. Can you find them all?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
og14
Maison de Urushi
(currently closed)
Maison de Urushi Project, directed by Shozo Kitaoka and Hayato Otani (2010)
- 🔵 Open every day during the Setouchi Triennale (9.30 am to 4.30 pm)
- Maison de Urushi online: Site
Review: A place that shows what can be done with traditional urushi lacquer in the contemporary world. I love how traditional techniques are applied to the modern world this way. This project has a lot to bring. It’s the kind of place that shows how revitalization can go through other means than just tourism, for example mixing arts, crafts, and local culture.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
og02
Takotsuboru
Team Ogi (2019)
- 🟢 Outdoor art
- Team Ogi online: Facebook
Review: a small but cute playground for the island’s kids.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Takashi Kawashima & Dream Friends (2022)
- 🔵 Open every day during the Setouchi Triennale (9.30 am to 4.30 pm)
- Takeshi Kawashima online: Site, Instagram
Review: For his 5th Triennale and his 92nd birthday, Kawashima-sensei is offering us new art in his gallery. It’s not exactly “new” as it’s some art he made back when he lived in New York and that he brought back with him when he returned to Kagawa a few years ago. Having art that previously was in MOMA to come to Ogijima is quite a treat.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
og15
The Room Inside of the Room
Oscar Oiwa (2016)
- 🔵 Open every day during the Setouchi Triennale (9.30 am to 4.30 pm)
- Oscar Oiwa online: website, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram
Review: I love this very fun artwork, in line with Oscar Oiwa’s original and intriguing landscapes as well as his plays on perspective. When you’re in the room, do not solely focus on the strange appearance of the setting, make sure you spend a certain amount of time on the painting, there is more than meets the eye at first.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
OGI Project
Team Ogi (since 2013)
- 🟢 Outdoor art
- Team Ogi online: Facebook
Review: Since 2013, a group of local artists with links to Ogijima have painted some of the fishing boats on the island.
The project was part of the Setouchi Triennale between 2013 and 2019. While it is not officially ongoing anymore, some of the boats are still painted and can be seen in both ports of the island.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
og03
Generative Drawing on Japanese Paper House 2.0
Goro Murayama (2019, 2022)
- 🔵 Open every day during the Setouchi Triennale (9.30 am to 4.30 pm)
- Goro Murayama online: Site
Review: Interesting paintings all over the inside of the house.
Note that the artwork has been updated since 2019 and it looks much better than it used to.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
og08
Akinorium
Akinori Matsumoto (2015)
- 🔵 Open every day during the Setouchi Triennale (9.30 am to 4.30 pm)
- Akinori Matsumoto: Site
- This artwork has the particularity to be owned and managed by the Ogi Community Association.
Review: A magical place. You need to take your time when visiting Akinorium (10 minutes is best, albeit not always possible if it’s a busy day). When you first enter, stay a little bit downstairs and enjoy the view and the sounds. Then move upstairs (mind your head and be careful with the stairs too), sit down, and relax.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
og18
Ogijima Pavilion
Architecture: Shigeru Ban
Art: Oscar Oiwa
(2022)
- 🔵 Open every day during the Setouchi Triennale (9.30 am to 4.30 pm)
- Oscar Oiwa online: website, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram
- Shigeru Ban online: website
Review: An amazing building with amazing art. Do not miss it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Onba
Onba Factory team
Director: Yoshifumi Oshima (since 2009)
- 🟢 Outdoor art
Review: Onba Factory has been one of the most inspiring and important artworks of the whole Setouchi Triennale since its beginnings. Unfortunately, it closed its doors in 2021. However, a lot of the onba that were created over the past 12 years can still be found on Ogijima. How many can you spot?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
School, Fishing Port, and Beach Area
OGI Project
Team Ogi (since 2013)
- 🟢 Outdoor art – free access
- Team Ogi online: Facebook
Review: Since 2013, a group of local artists with links to Ogijima have painted some of the fishing boats on the island.
The project was part of the Setouchi Triennale between 2013 and 2019. While it is not officially ongoing anymore, some of the boats are still painted and can be seen in both ports.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
og16
Walking Ark
Keisuke Yamaguchi (2013)
- 🟢 Outdoor art – free access
Review: I’m not too crazy about it, but I don’t mind it either. I guess I got used to it now that it’s part of the landscape.
Hint: the best way to enjoy the artwork is not when you’re closest to it, but actually when you’re a few dozen of meters away and that the “island” lines up with the horizon. It’ll seem to be moving as you walk towards it.
⭐⭐⭐
og17
Dreaming of Blue
Regina Silveira (2016)
- 🟢 Outdoor art – free access
- Regina Silveira online: Site
Review: Nice, but not exactly mindblowing. I like the fact that it adds color and personality to this otherwise very dull-looking (but very useful) building.
⭐⭐⭐
Sources: My own visits to Ogijima (the picture are all mine), the various guidebooks of the various editions of the Setouchi Triennale.
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