The international art exhibition "Drawn from Quiet Waters" (静かな水面から引き上げられたもの) will be held at the cultural tourism facility Kaga Iryokuen (加賀依緑園) in Yamanaka Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa, from October 10 (Sat) to October 18 (Sun), 2026.
The exhibition is organized by the contemporary art collective frontviews and its members, and was planned as the first step of an international exchange project connecting Ishikawa Prefecture and Berlin, Germany. It is the first time that frontviews, which is based in Berlin, will show its work in Japan (according to the organizer, as confirmed in October 2026). Works by a total of 11 artists will be on display, including members of the collective and artists who are from or have ties to Ishikawa.
On opening day, October 10 (Sat), an opening performance will be held from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM, featuring the Berlin-based performance trio iYi and mii89, a sound project based in Berlin and Ishikawa by childhood friends from Ishikawa.
The exhibition takes place in a historic building with a quiet garden, and presents a range of artistic expression including drawings and installations.
An International Art Exhibition Connecting Ishikawa and Berlin
The idea for a show in Japan arose when Berlin-based artist Runa Ikeda joined the contemporary art collective frontviews. Because Runa Ikeda's husband, the sound artist Shinichiro Ikeda, is from Komatsu in Ishikawa, Kaga Iryokuen was chosen as the venue.
The 11 exhibiting artists are based in Berlin or are from or connected to Ishikawa. They include Tatsuhiro Kawasaki, who lives in Komatsu and makes furniture and tools from metal, and Daigo Ohmura, who lives in Nonoichi and works in spatial art. The works use a variety of methods, from drawings made on paper with charcoal and other materials to installations that make use of space.
Rather than presenting one fixed message, the exhibition is positioned as a "starting place" where different artistic expressions, stories, and ways of seeing meet for the first time. The works range from pieces that speak through quiet gestures and subtle changes to pieces that directly confront social, historical, and political realities.
The Meaning Behind the Title
The title "Drawn from Quiet Waters" carries a double meaning. One refers to the many drawings and works on paper in the show and points to the immediacy of lines and gestures. The other suggests that something takes shape from sources such as place, memory, observation, encounters, and inner states.
"Quiet Waters" refers to the calm atmosphere created by the facility and its garden, and also stands for the deep, hard-to-see currents from which artistic thoughts and images emerge. These words are layered with the way art observes the world, receives it, and turns it into expression, as well as with the way the exhibition brings what has emerged up to the surface of the water.
The venue is more than a place to display works. Its architecture, history, and surrounding scenery are also important elements that shape the exhibition. In a space formed by continuity and change, dialogue between human life and nature, quiet reflection and hospitality, and a tradition of cultural exchange, the exhibition asks how art can respond to the place. Visitors can take in the atmosphere of the historic architecture and garden while encountering different forms of artistic expression and the new connections that arise from them.
Exhibition Details
- Exhibition name: Drawn from Quiet Waters (静かな水面から引き上げられたもの)
- Dates: October 10 (Sat) to October 18 (Sun), 2026
- Venue: Kaga Iryokuen (加賀依緑園), Yamanaka Onsen Minami-machi Ro 87-1, Kaga, Ishikawa
- Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Closed: Thursdays (open if the day is a national holiday)
- Admission: General ¥600 (one person is admitted free when bringing one exhibition DM, or direct mail)
- Participating artists (11): Andreas Schmid, Runa Ikeda, Willem Besselink, Dennis Scholl, Stella Geppert, Shinichiro Ikeda, Frida Eun Ae Yngvesson, Yuuki Asamura, Tatsuhiro Kawasaki, Shinichi Moriguchi, Daigo Ohmura
- Curation and project text: Nicola E. Petek
- Organizer: frontviews and its members
Opening Sound Performance
On the first day of the exhibition, an opening performance will be held featuring iYi, a performance trio based in Berlin, and mii89, a sound project based in Berlin and Ishikawa by childhood friends from Ishikawa.
- Date: October 10 (Sat), 2026
- Time: 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
- Performers: iYi, mii89
About Kaga Iryokuen
Located in the center of Yamanaka Onsen in Kaga, Ishikawa, Kaga Iryokuen opened in April 2024 as a cultural tourism facility, making use of a historic building from the Meiji era. The building was once the villa of the long-established ryokan Yoshinoya (よしのや), where it welcomed distinguished guests such as Emperor Showa and former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, and it was also the setting for historic meetings.
After major restoration work that began in 2021, the building was reborn as a cultural tourism base while keeping the design of traditional Japanese architecture. Inside, exhibits introduce traditional Japanese techniques such as Kinkarakawashi (金唐革紙) and Inami carving (井波彫刻), and valuable historical materials such as tableware used by Emperor Showa are on view. Crafts by local artisans are also sold.
The facility also has a garden, a tea room, and a lounge where matcha and Japanese sweets can be enjoyed. Access to the Kaga and Yamanaka Onsen area has also improved with the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tsuruga.
Facility Highlights
- Lounge: Displays records of stays by Emperor Showa and literary figures, along with related items
- Garden: A stroll garden that carries on the aesthetics of the Enshu school (supervised by Yuri Ugaya, 烏賀陽百合)
- Exhibition room: Introduces the history and techniques of Kinkarakawashi
- Kiku no Ma and Kiri no Ma (菊の間・桐の間): Formal modern Japanese-Western architecture using Kinkarakawashi
- Goten (Miyuki no Ma) (御殿・御幸の間): A formal space with Inami carving and inlay decoration
- Kagetsu wing (花月の棟): A wing with records of literary figures such as Yasunari Kawabata staying here to write (partly surviving)
- Karafune wing and tea room (唐船の棟・茶室): A space modeled on the tea room Yuin (又隠), plus craft exhibitions and sales by the gallery 縁煌
Facility Information
- Name: Kaga Iryokuen (加賀依緑園)
- Address: Yamanaka Onsen Minami-machi Ro 87-1, Kaga, Ishikawa
- Phone: 0761-71-2683
- Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Closed: Thursdays
- Admission: General ¥600, groups (20 or more people) ¥490 (one person is admitted free when bringing one exhibition DM, or direct mail)
- Parking: Yamanaka Onsen Kikunoyu parking lot or Korogi Bridge parking area
- Official website: https://kagairyokuen.jp/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaga_iryokuen
