This autumn, the city of Maebashi transforms its central district into an immersive, walkable art festival for its debut edition of Maebashi Biennale.
The event is built around the theme, “Mebuku. Where good things grow” (“mebuku” means “to sprout” in Japanese), reflecting the city’s ongoing effort to revive its downtown by planting new creative ideas into everyday spaces. It brings together some 70 artists and collectives across art, architecture, music, poetry, theater, film and food, blending international works with dozens of projects built alongside local creators.
Rather than isolating works inside traditional gallery walls, the festival weaves art directly into the city’s landscape. Concentrated within a compact area roughly 500 meters square, with more than 20 venues, the stroll between venues becomes part of the experience itself. While you can check out the highlights on a single day, we recommend spending the night in the area to really immerse yourself in Maebashi’s atmosphere — dropping into artist talks and sampling local spots to eat.
Maebashi Biennale 2026 Highlights
- Arts Maebashi: The festival’s main venue. The city’s contemporary art museum brings together some 20 artists across two floors, including Sam Falls, Naoki Ishikawa, Keiichiro Shibuya, Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka and Nao Yoshigai.
- Local Architecture: Distinctive spots like Sou Fujimoto’s plant-wrapped Shiroiya Hotel and Akihisa Hirata’s Maebashi Galleria integrate artworks right into their spaces.
- Fresh Projects: Discover a reconfigured exhibition by Martin Margiela, new work by Mika Ninagawa with EiM, poetry light boxes by Tahi Saihate + Shun Sasaki and site-specific pieces made during artist residencies in the city.
For more information, check out our article about Maebashi Biennale 2026.
Tadashi Kawamata, Tree Hut (Reference work)
