The Director’s Role in SIAF

A decade of サイアフ a decade of directorsA decade of SIAF; a decade of directors

It is no exaggeration to state that the history of サイアフ from its inception to the present is synonymous with the history of selecting directors. サイアフ appointed internationally acclaimed artists befitting of an international art festival for 2014 and 2017 whose artistic sensibilities directly influenced the direction of the art festival, each edition of which was unique and completely different from the last. During this time, they were invited as “Guest Directors.”
Directors were guests who could creatively express themselves, while the Secretariat served as the host and was dedicated to realizing their visions. Both festivals were exceptional, but also revealed some challenges, particularly concerning community outreach.It is no exaggeration to state that the history of SIAF from its inception to the present is synonymous with the history of selecting directors. SIAF appointed internationally acclaimed artists befitting of an international art festival for 2014 and 2017 whose artistic sensibilities directly influenced the direction of the art festival, each edition of which was unique and completely different from the last. During this time, they were invited as “Guest Directors.”
Directors were guests who could creatively express themselves, while the Secretariat served as the host and was dedicated to realizing their visions. Both festivals were exceptional, but also revealed some challenges, particularly concerning community outreach.

The art festival as a public serviceThe art festival as a public service

The City of Sapporo being the principal organizer means that the festival can be regarded as a form of public service. Every event must ultimately contribute to the community in some way, and the administration is expected to adhere to municipal strategies for community engagement. While both サイアフ2014 and サイアフ2017 succeeded in boosting their profile among art professionals, evaluations regarding community outreach contained harsh comments. The responsibility for this outcome lies with the Secretariat. Perhaps the newly organized Secretariat was not best prepared to take in guest directors. In other words, it fell short of bridging the gap between the aspirations of the guest directors and the community.
Taking this into account, a “Team of Directors” was appointed for サイアフ2020. However, given the cancelation of the festival, the actual effectiveness of this new approach remains unverified.The City of Sapporo being the principal organizer means that the festival can be regarded as a form of public service. Every event must ultimately contribute to the community in some way, and the administration is expected to adhere to municipal strategies for community engagement. While both SIAF2014 and SIAF2017 succeeded in boosting their profile among art professionals, evaluations regarding community outreach contained harsh comments. The responsibility for this outcome lies with the Secretariat. Perhaps the newly organized Secretariat was not best prepared to take in guest directors. In other words, it fell short of bridging the gap between the aspirations of the guest directors and the community.
Taking this into account, a “Team of Directors” was appointed for SIAF2020. However, given the cancelation of the festival, the actual effectiveness of this new approach remains unverified.

Minimizing misalignment with the secretariatMinimizing misalignment with the secretariat

Welcoming OGAWA Hideaki as Director for サイアフ2024 entailed defining the requirements for his role as a condition for his appointment. This involved designing the art festival not as a one-off event but as one that contributes back to the community in the long term, as well as optimizing its regionality by holding it in winter and contextualizing the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Overall, many of these objectives were fulfilled. Ars Electronica, with which Director OGAWA is affiliated, is an administrative body of the City of Linz, Austria. Therefore, OGAWA is well-versed in “administration,” and this likely benefitted in minimizing any “misalignment” that may have occurred in the direction and communications of the festival. In terms of interactions with the administration, Director OGAWA may have been the director most closely aligned with the Secretariat compared to his predecessors. The Secretariat has developed a well-oiled machine of structure over the last decade of managing サイアフ. This stability provides hope for better synergy when revisiting the possibility of inviting guest directors in the future.Welcoming OGAWA Hideaki as Director for SIAF2024 entailed defining the requirements for his role as a condition for his appointment. This involved designing the art festival not as a one-off event but as one that contributes back to the community in the long term, as well as optimizing its regionality by holding it in winter and contextualizing the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Overall, many of these objectives were fulfilled. Ars Electronica, with which Director OGAWA is affiliated, is an administrative body of the City of Linz, Austria. Therefore, OGAWA is well-versed in “administration,” and this likely benefitted in minimizing any “misalignment” that may have occurred in the direction and communications of the festival. In terms of interactions with the administration, Director OGAWA may have been the director most closely aligned with the Secretariat compared to his predecessors. The Secretariat has developed a well-oiled machine of structure over the last decade of managing SIAF. This stability provides hope for better synergy when revisiting the possibility of inviting guest directors in the future.