Sapporo Odori 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery

Photo by TAKUMA Noriko

PLANET SNOW UnderpassPLANET SNOW: Underpass

Even when it snows above, visitors can take their time enjoying artworks within this space that extends like an underpass.

Here, two artists, ONISHI Yasuaki and SUZUKI Yuya, chosen from among over 80 applicants from within Japan and abroad, will put together exhibitions in their own displays measuring 48 metres long each.Even when it snows above, visitors can take their time enjoying artworks within this space that extends like an underpass.

Here, two artists, ONISHI Yasuaki and SUZUKI Yuya, chosen from among over 80 applicants from within Japan and abroad, will put together exhibitions in their own displays measuring 48 metres long each.

ONISHI Yasuaki “Stone on Boundary UT” 2024

SUZUKI Yuya “Phantoms Agora” 2019

Located in the underground concourse connecting Sapporo City Subway Odori Station and Bus Center mae Station, the Sapporo Odori 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery is Japan’s longest gallery facility. Here, the “500-m Underground Walkway Gallery Award,” a competition for artwork plans and exhibition proposals, has been held since 2012.

This year, as part of a special competition held in collaboration with サイアフ, two selected winners will be designated as サイアフ2027 participating artists and present their works as part of the festival.Located in the underground concourse connecting Sapporo City Subway Odori Station and Bus Center mae Station, the Sapporo Odori 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery is Japan’s longest gallery facility. Here, the “500-m Underground Walkway Gallery Award,” a competition for artwork plans and exhibition proposals, has been held since 2012.

This year, as part of a special competition held in collaboration with SIAF, two selected winners will be designated as SIAF2027 participating artists and present their works as part of the festival.

Venue Site Visit

Venue Site Visit

Venue Site Visit

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Artists and WorksArtists and Works

ONISHI Yasuaki

Based in Osaka
Born in Osaka

SUZUKI Yuya

Based in Sapporo, Hokkaido
Born in Fukushima

サイアフ2027 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery Award Jury ReviewSIAF2027 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery Award: Jury Review

First of all, I would like to express my respect and gratitude to all the artists from Japan and abroad who applied. With the 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery acting as an official venue of the Sapporo International Art Festival, many proposals with a rich diversity of worldviews were created through artists connecting their unique forms of expression and creative practices to the theme of サイアフ2027. Through several stages of judging, we were able to recognize anew the potential of the 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery as a hub of contemporary art. In particular, I feel that its long exhibition space, rare even by global standards, is by no means a negative factor but a limitation full of possibility that artists cannot help but take on. As a public space in the form of an underground passage where the general public passing through each day become the viewers, the gallery is literally a space for socially engaged contemporary art, and a driving force that generates a wide range of expression and relationships.

Contemporary art is often said to be difficult to understand, but I believe that tracing the judging process and the reasons for selection, as in this competition, can serve as a clue to understanding it. The exhibitions of the two selected artists will be unveiled during the festival period. I hope that the exhibitions in this underground public space along with the other venues will serve as an opportunity for us all to consider the significance of the Sapporo International Art Festival and the role of contemporary art.

MITSUHASHI Sumiyo, Chairperson of the selection committee excerpt from the selection committee’s reviewFirst of all, I would like to express my respect and gratitude to all the artists from Japan and abroad who applied. With the 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery acting as an official venue of the Sapporo International Art Festival, many proposals with a rich diversity of worldviews were created through artists connecting their unique forms of expression and creative practices to the theme of SIAF2027. Through several stages of judging, we were able to recognize anew the potential of the 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery as a hub of contemporary art. In particular, I feel that its long exhibition space, rare even by global standards, is by no means a negative factor but a limitation full of possibility that artists cannot help but take on. As a public space in the form of an underground passage where the general public passing through each day become the viewers, the gallery is literally a space for socially engaged contemporary art, and a driving force that generates a wide range of expression and relationships.

Contemporary art is often said to be difficult to understand, but I believe that tracing the judging process and the reasons for selection, as in this competition, can serve as a clue to understanding it. The exhibitions of the two selected artists will be unveiled during the festival period. I hope that the exhibitions in this underground public space along with the other venues will serve as an opportunity for us all to consider the significance of the Sapporo International Art Festival and the role of contemporary art.

MITSUHASHI Sumiyo, Chairperson of the selection committee (excerpt from the selection committee’s review)

OverviewOverview

DatesDates

January 16 Sat March 24 Wed, 2027January 16 (Sat) – March 24 (Wed), 2027

HoursHours

7時30分22時7:30–22:00

ClosedClosed

Open every day during the festival periodOpen every day during the festival period

AdmissionAdmission

Free admissionFree admission

PlanningPlanning

CAI Contemporary Art Institute/CAI03, General Incorporated Association PROJECTACAI Contemporary Art Institute/CAI03, General Incorporated Association PROJECTA

ArtistsArtists

ONISHI Yasuaki, SUZUKI Yuya winners of the サイアフ2027 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery AwardONISHI Yasuaki, SUZUKI Yuya (winners of the SIAF2027 500-m Underground Walkway Gallery Award)

WebsiteWebsite

https://www.500m.jp/ Only available in Japanesehttps://www.500m.jp/
*Only available in Japanese

AddressAddress

Odori Nishi 1-chome - Odori Higashi 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0051Odori Nishi 1-chome - Odori Higashi 2-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0051

AccessAccess

1-minute walk from Odori Subway Station, Namboku Line/Tozai Line/Toho Line1-minute walk from Odori Subway Station, Namboku Line/Tozai Line/Toho Line

ParkingParking

Not availableNot available