The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale is pleased to announce that applications for its 10th edition open call will begin on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
Launched in 2000, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale is one of the world’s largest international art triennales, spanning 760 square kilometers across the Echigo-Tsumari region in Niigata Prefecture. Unlike exhibitions in urban settings, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale takes place in the satoyama landscape—Japan’s traditional rural environment—under the philosophy that “Human beings are part of nature.” It aims to rediscover the hidden values within local communities and to nurture regional pride. More than a mere exhibition, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale has been internationally recognized as a pioneering initiative demonstrating the role of art in regional revitalization.
Over its past editions, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale has welcomed more than 1,000 artists—from globally acclaimed figures to emerging talents—who have created site-specific works in rice paddies and forests, along riversides and parks, in abandoned schools, vacant houses, and local shopping streets. These works have gone beyond artistic value, generating new employment, fostering community activities, bringing together people of various backgrounds and volunteers in collaboration, encouraging mobility and exchange, and inspiring new projects within the region.
The 9th edition, held in 2024, focused on the themes of “Art as Hospitality,” “Connecting with the World,” “Exploring the Region in Depth,” and “Art as a Sensory Experience.” It showcased works that could be enjoyed by children and the elderly, by international visitors and local residents alike.
Looking ahead to the 10th edition in 2027, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale will build upon these achievements while further developing Echigo-Tsumari into a place that can be enjoyed by everyone, where the region and the world are more closely connected than ever before, and where learning emerges through artistic experience.
Started in 2000, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale has created numerous artworks by revitalizing vacant houses, closed schools, and other local resources. We have now entered a stage where the maintenance and succession of these sites has become a pressing issue. In addition to proposals for new works, we especially welcome proposals that creatively “re-reuse” existing works and spaces, exploring new approaches toward a sustainable Triennale.
To help applicants better understand the philosophy and context of the Triennale, site visits will be organized. For those unable to attend in person, videos will be made available. Please be sure to view these resources before submitting a proposal. Note that for this open call, the content, requirements, and rules have been significantly updated from last time. Applicants are asked to carefully review the official Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale website for details.
In today’s world, where efficiency and convenience often take precedence and divisions and conflicts continue to deepen, art has the power to reconnect people, regions, and the wider world. We welcome proposals for works and projects that embody the philosophy of the Triennale and open new possibilities for communities.
Open call guidelines
–Full details can be found here.
–Application period: November 4 (Tuesday)–11 (Tuesday), 2025
–Award: Participation in ETAT 2027, with production support ranging from 500,000 to 2,500,000 JPY
–Eligible proposals: Free proposals as well as proposals for a selected site/project (see official website for details)
–Juror: Fram Kitagawa, General Director of Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2027
Venue: Echigo-Tsumari region (Tokamachi City and Tsunan Town, Niigata Prefecture, Japan)
Dates: 2027 (exact schedule to be announced)
Organizer: Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale Executive Committee
General Director: Fram Kitagawa
Inquiries and submissions
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale Executive Committee
c/o Tokamachi Tourism Association
251-17 Asahi-cho, Tokamachi City, Niigata 948-0079, Japan
F +81 (0)25 757 2285 / info@echigo-tsumari.jp
Photo: Akiko Utsumi, For Lots of Lost Windows. Photo: T. Kuratani.