If you are thinking about a weekend out of Tokyo, in a nice Onsen town, this art event in Atami can convince you to pack and leave.

A little introduction.

The “Biennale di Venezia” is an international art Exhibition held every two years in the city of Venice, Italy. The 2022 Art event took place from April 10th to May 1st and saw the involvement of Japanese artists also thanks to the Michelangelo Foundation that together with the Japan Foundation organized “Homo Faber”, a showcase of contemporary artisans, centred in Japanese handicrafts.

For the occasion, objects made by 12 Japanese artisans have been selected for display in a stone garden inside the Palladian Refectory at Fondazione Giorgio Cini.

These specific artisans are very special ones as they are honored by the title of National Living Treasure. This recognition is granted to individuals designated as preservers of significant intangible cultural heritage, an incredibly high title showing how Japan values and promotes craftsmanship, culture and people.

Now that the exhibition is over and many Japanese people couldn’t have travelled to Italy due the pandemic, the crafts are re-proposed in their homeland, in the city of Atami, Shizuoka prefecture, at the MOA Museum.

You can walk between crafts and see brief videos of the artists showcasing their incredible skills while making the exhibited objects.

The Museum is displaying 28 works by the artists that highlight traditional crafts as ceramics and lacquer through December 11th 2022.

Here is the link to the list of the mentioned artists and techniques:

https://www.moaart.or.jp/en/events/homofaber-12-stone-garden/

Some pictures of the rest of the museum:

Event information

NAME: HOMO FABER, 12 Stone Garden Naoto Fukasawa and 12 Living National Treasures

DATES: From October 28th to December 11th, 2022

PLACE: MOA Museum of Art 26-2 Momoyama-cho, Atami-shi, Shizuoka, Japan

PRICE: Ticket for the whole museum is 1,600 Yen

WEBSITE: https://www.moaart.or.jp/en/events/homofaber-12-stone-garden/