About Sapporo International Art Festival

Sapporo in Hokkaido Prefecture is the northern-most city designated by government ordinance. It has the 5th largest population in Japan.
Sapporo International Art Festival (SIAF) is a triennial art event to encounter defining artworks in the world. It was launched in 2014 and the second edition was held in 2017. Diverse artistic expression including exhibitions and performances were showcased at various locations throughout the city. The third edition SIAF2020 was cancelled, however upon cancellation, we launched the special program “SIAF2020 Plans and Ideas” that ran during the original festival dates to share through the various media the detailed plans developed for SIAF2020. The final outcome of the program, the documentation book, was published in March.
The next edition, SIAF2024, is scheduled for January 20–February 25, 2024, with the Director OGAWA Hideaki (Co-Director of Ars Electronica Futurelab/Artist). The theme of SIAF2024 is “LAST SNOW”.

About Sapporo International Art Festival 2024 (SIAF2024)

History of SIAF

2006 Sapporo declared itself “Sapporo Ideas City,”* encouraging the cultivation of creativity in the city through art and culture.

* This declaration states the goal of Creative City Sapporo: a city where the wisdom of citizens, along with domestic and international exchanges, cultivates new industry and culture and constantly generates new information and things.

2010 The Sapporo Pre-Biennale Executive Committee was established by private citizens, aiming to hold an international exhibition in 2014.
2011 The Sapporo Pre-Biennale Contemporary Art Exhibition 2011 was held at Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art and the Sapporo Art Park.
2012 The Basic Concept of Sapporo International Art Festival was established, aiming for a triennial art festival in Sapporo.
2013 The City of Sapporo was designated as the world’s second and Asia’s first City of Media Arts of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network*.

*The UNESCO Creative Cities Network was created in 2004 to support international cooperation and exchange among cities that look for revitalization through cultivation and reinforcement of the creative and cultural industries. Fourteen cities have been designated as the City of Media Arts and Sapporo is the only one in Japan (as of October, 2017) .

2014 Sapporo International Art Festival 2014 (July 19 - September 28)
2015 SIAFLounge ・ Project Room were opened at Shiryokan (Former Sapporo Court of Appeal)

SIAF Lab was established.
2017 Sapporo International Art Festival 2017 (August 6 - October 1)
2018 SIAF-bu was established.
2020 The cancellation of Sapporo International Art Festival 2020 was announced on July 22.
Sapporo International Art Festival 2020 Plans and Ideas took place during December 19–February 14.
2024 Sapporo International Art Festival 2024 (January 20–February 25)