In 2009, during the period between October 3 and November 23, the second Kobe Biennale turned the entire port city of Kobe into an art museum.


The theme of the initial Biennale in 2007 was “Encounters ~ People, Town, and Arts ” In 2009, from the encounters formed various kinds of “wa” that linked, expanded, and further developed.


The key concept “wa” conveys multiple meanings such as “peace,” “harmony,” “comfort,” “surrounding,” and “link.” Through the spirit of “wa” that is fundamental and still present in Japanese culture, the art festival focuses on the rethinking of “aesthetics” in terms of global societies, environments and culture creations.


After the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake on January 17, 1995, people once again recognized the function of art and culture as spiritual support. In the December prior to the 10th year since the earthquake, Kobe City set forth the “Culture Creation City Declaration” in order to prolong the power of art and cultural activities into the future. The city’s energetic efforts garnered international recognition; in October 2008, Kobe became the first city in Asia to be designated as a “design city” by UNESCO.


Biennale, held every two years, originates from the international art exhibition held in Venice, Italy in 1895. With the historical background of Kobe acting as a window for art, culture and information from across the globe upon its opening as a seaport in 1868, the purpose of the Kobe Biennale is to make full use of the city’s unique charms and continue the communication.

At the main exhibition area, Meriken Park, adorning the West Gate was a high-heel shoe in a red that rivaled that of Kobe’s landmark, the Kobe Port Tower. This public art “Red heels,” created by Masashi Takasuga, an invited artist from the Institute of Environmental Art and Design, also expresses the spirit of “wa.” Kobe is the birthplace of Japan’s rubber industry and the city of shoes; and after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the speedy recovery of the industries was due to strong network. From that, the shoe symbolizes the firmness of community.


As suited for the port city of Kobe, the abundant exhibition spaces were in the form of containers used for transport. The main competition “Art in Container: International Exhibition” received a total of 398 submissions nationally and internationally. The selected 30 artworks were each displayed in a container that measured 12 meters deep, 2.4 meters wide, and 2.5 meters high. Among the 42 works submitted from 16 countries, five works by artists from Germany, Australia and the U.S. were selected. Even within a uniform space, with their original ideas, the artists freely rendered their own interpretation of “wa.”

The new attempt at taking advantage of the sea was the “Art on the Sea” exhibition. The plan aimed to provide a glance of the city from a perspective that differed from ones from the mountains and the port, by riding on “Fantasy,” the ship that connects the two exhibition areas of Merikan Park and Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art. Regarding this novel challenge of displaying art on the sea, Yasuyuki Kishida, Deputy Director of the Office of the Organization Committee for Kobe Biennale, comments, “There were many obstacles to overcome before the exhibitions were actualized, but the hardships are all worth it if visitors could enjoy art from various angles as well as rediscover the wonderfulness of Kobe.”


During the ride, visitors would be dazzled by sculptor Jun Tsukawaki’s iron “KOBE Ring” as it transformed into multiple shapes along with the movement of the ship. Then, Chu Enoki’s “BAR ROSE Chu” that opened again for the first time in 30 years and stood on a dolphin named “Liberty Island” would have visitors pondering the delicate connection and distance between people. Also, Keiji Uematsu’s “The Shapes in Between” that featured objects placed on dolphins and piers, in such a way that they appeared to be simply floating, raised a question on the relationships between humans and nature. The experience of seeing art from a ship led to stimulation and surprising discoveries that only the sea could offer.

An extension of the main theme of “wa” is the art exhibition held at the museum designed by architect Tadao Ando in 2002, which served as yet another a new exhibition area for 2009. “LINK - Flexible Deviations,” is a group exhibition that features works by twelve internationally active first-generation modern art artists of the 1960s and newcomers who are all connected with Kobe City or Hyogo Prefecture in certain ways. Utilizing the gallery spaces as well as the outdoor exhibition areas, the various relationships between artists and viewers of art, and the deviations from existent values in order to realize new ones, the opportunity to contemplate such links was the intent of these modern artworks.


During the structuring process, what curators including Hitoshi Dehara valued the most was “the vision of the art museum rapidly expanding to the outside world.” Such “artworks that are moved out from the museum and into the city” included the arrow signs that led to the museum made by Shimabuku with the method of fish print, and Yukinori Yamamura’s paper balloons with printed illustrations of ships and containing seeds. As artworks for taking home, the balloons gained immense popularity. During the exhibition period, 30 balloons on weekdays and 80 balloons on weekends and holidays journeyed to the outside world.


* “Wind Ship”: the two characters for "balloon" in Japanese are “wind” and “ship.”


From here, the focus will shift to an organization that, similar to the Kobe Biennale, utilizes the unique qualities of Kobe to the utmost, and plays an active role in expanding art and culture.

C.A.P. (The Conference on Art and Art Projects), which celebrated its 15th anniversary in November 2009, is a nonprofit organization mainly operated by artists. Today, establishing base grounds on the mountains and sea of Kobe, C.A.P. develops a variety of activities to create opportunities for encountering art through art projects “CAP STUDIO Y3” and “CAP CLUB Q2.” The history of C.A.P. is as rich as its activities.

In 1994, artist Tomoko Sugiyama held doubts about the City’s plans of building an art museum. From there, after she and ten fellow artists held several discussion gatherings, a proposal titled “Art Museum for the Future” for Kobe City and C.A.P. were born.


The fundamental principles of the proposal, with the premise of setting long-term sights rather than dwelling on immediate rewards, included “Instead of hard expenses, enrich the soft elements,” “a place that reflects the current situation of today’s culture and art,” “a facility for art education,” and “an art museum citizens may enjoy and be proud of.”

Soon after the Earthquake, “Acte Kobe,” a charity event for the artists of Kobe was held in Marseille, France, a sister city of Kobe. With a joint decision by musician Barre Phillips, a leader of the event, and Nobuhisa Shimoda (now C.A.P. Director) of Kobe Port Island’s Music Space Xebec, the proceeds were used for the initial “CAPARTY.” From then on, “Acte Kobe” expanded into a series of exchange mainly between artists of France and Japan, and “CAPARTY” proceeded to be organized as a party for the communication and exchange of art.


From November 1999, along with the inception of the art space project “CAP HOUSE~An Artistc Experiment of 190 Days,” the abandoned former Kobe Immigration Center was revived. The building was established in 1928 as the National Emigration Center for the pre-departure orientations and VISA procedures of people leaving for Brazil and South America. To breathe new life into this historical site, C.A.P. exerted the spirit of “having fun.” At “100 People’s Clean-up,” each of the 135 participants paid a fee of 1,500 yen in exchange for a work suit printed with the C.A.P. logo, work gloves, and lunch. Together, they started a new era at the end of the day.


Until September 2001, with the main event of “CAPARTY,” C.A.P. also functioned as the office for the city-planned event “Movie Theater in the Kobe Settlement Area.” In the Spring 2002, with the proposal of the city, a section of the building was transformed into the Kobe Emigration Data Room, and C.A.P. took charge of the administrative work. In order to make a contract with the city, C.A.P. became a specified nonprofit corporation. Simultaneously, the art project resumed, creating activities such as “Open Ateliers, “CAP Cafe”, “CAP Gallery” and “CAP STUDY.”


At the end of 2007, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Japanese emigration policy toward Brazil, Kobe City began a large-scale renovation of the building to re-launch it as the Kobe Center for Overseas Migration and Cultural Integration. The C.A.P. art project consequently relocated to pier Q2, 4th wharf, and initiated “STUDIO Q2,” a project for people from diverse fields to share ideas and philosophies.

In June 2009, the renovation was completed. The joint venture contract with the city returned C.A.P. to the building located on Yamamoto 3rd Street. The main purpose of the activities at “CAP STUDIO Y3” is not the displaying and viewing of the artworks by the commissioned artists, but rather the communication between the artists and visitors in the open ateliers. At “CAP CLUB Q2,” in addition to concerts featuring music from the world, there are gatherings that welcome all, such as illustration club, recorder club and plastic model club. Of course, parties are frequently held as well.


Presently, the 38 members of C.A.P. include Yukio Fujimoto and Yukinori Yamamura, who participated in Kobe Biennale 2009, and artists from Germany and the U.S., creating a group of 23 fellow artists of different genres. Furthermore, the “Supporting Membership” established in 1996 to fund the activities currently consists of 48 individual members and 21 corporate members, as well as 54 “Friends” supporters.


Regardless of the changes in location, in terms of art and cultural activities, C.A.P. always takes the stance of placing the greatest importance on subjects such as the expansion of interaction between society and artists, and the understanding of the creative process, and continue working toward the building of an art community. The future goals of C.A.P. include the actualization of comfortable working environments for artists, holding exhibitions and concerts of higher quality, increasing citizen participation, operating with a manageable small-scaled system, as well as the creation of projects that make the most of the playful spirit of artists and lead to the vitality and vibrancy of society.


As C.A.P. Director Nobuhisa Shimoda emphasizes, “Art and culture are the fundamental study of society.” Without the sustainability of art and culture, it is to say that nothing remains for the future. Similarly to the Earthquake, the destruction of art and cultural activities takes only a moment, while their restoration requires an immense amount of time. Kobe is blessed with an unfathomable amount of art and culture. By proactively doing what one is capable of and interested in, art and culture will not only enrich one’s life, but also create new encounters that will surely expand into a broad array of “wa” that crosses the borders of worlds.

C.A.P. Director. Born in Kawasaki in 1957. Relocated to Kobe, designed and produced events at Xebec Hall in 1988. Directly after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, French musicians consulted him with regard to the usage of relief money. With the invitation of Yukio Fujimoto, he participated in a C.A.P. meeting. Consequently, the charity from France was used for the CAPARTY held at Xebec, for which he designed the event space. In 1998, he became a member of C.A.P. In 2002, he shifted his entire professional focus to C.A.P.