Kirameki Art Festival focuses on a variety of contemporary sculpture created by 27 of the most exciting artists of today. The event takes place at 11 locations across the Yanesen area of Tokyo’s Taito-ku and Bunkyo-ku, areas which retain a strong traditional “shitamachi” atmosphere.
Participants range from sculptors and painters to contemporary artists, as well as parasitologists and ecologists.
In creating a forum for showcasing participants’ relationships with/ideas on sculpture based on the cultural character of the festival area, organizers hope the event will convey the appeal of arts and culture and leave a record of importance for Japanese arts going forward.
As well as artwork exhibitions, there were plenty of activities and events enabling visitors to feel more in touch with sculpture. These included a walk rally game in which visitors enjoyed a stroll around the shopping districts and alleyways of the Yanesen and Uenosakuragi areas, a flea market run by artists, and art workshops for parents and children.