The 1st Maebashi Biennale 2026 is underway in the central area of Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture, running for 80 days from Saturday, September 19 to Sunday, December 20, 2026. Details have now been announced for three programs in the second half of the festival: MAEBASHI ART MARKET – A Take-Home Art Festival, FUNclusion Week in Maebashi, and a new public artwork by Yoichi Ochiai.
MAEBASHI ART MARKET – A Take-Home Art Festival Announces All Vendors and Featured Events (November 21 and 22)
As an official program of the Maebashi Biennale 2026, the art market MAEBASHI ART MARKET – A Take-Home Art Festival, produced by the art project "MEET YOUR ART", takes place over two days, Saturday, November 21 and Sunday, November 22, on the Maebashi Chuo-dori Shopping Street (前橋中央通り商店街).
The concept is "A Take-Home Art Festival." Rather than only viewing artworks, visitors meet a wide range of makers across art, craft, fashion and food, pick up their work, taste it, and take the experience home into their everyday lives. Artists and creators selected from across Japan by MEET YOUR ART gather together with makers and shops rooted in Gunma. The market also links up with Kazemachi Yuyake Marche (風街夕やけマルシェ), which is held on the shopping street every Friday, and the two markets together bring more than 50 stalls. Admission is free.
The full vendor lineup has now been announced, with 29 stalls at MAEBASHI ART MARKET and 22 at Kazemachi Yuyake Marche. Details of the talk events and the book fair that will liven up the two days have been announced as well.
Special Talk Session with Mika Ninagawa and Hiroaki Miyata
Left: Mika Ninagawa / Right: Hiroaki Miyata
Artist Mika Ninagawa is taking part in the Maebashi Biennale 2026 as Mika Ninagawa with EiM, presenting the new work 《空だけは、こっちを見てこなかった》 in a disused building on Ginza-dori. She will be joined by Hiroaki Miyata, a scientist and the artistic director of the creative team EiM, for a special talk session on the first day of MAEBASHI ART MARKET.
Guided by the festival's program director, Takenori Miyamoto (宮本武典), the two will talk about the background and behind-the-scenes stories of the work's creation, as well as their thoughts on the festival and the town of Maebashi.
- Date and time: Saturday, November 21, 2026, 3:00 PM – 3:40 PM (planned)
- Venue: Special booth on the Maebashi Chuo-dori Shopping Street (across from Chuo Event Plaza (中央イベント広場))
- Speakers: Mika Ninagawa, Hiroaki Miyata. Moderator: Takenori Miyamoto (Program Director, Maebashi Biennale 2026)
- Admission: Free (a passport ticket is required for part of the priority viewing area)
About the priority viewing area
A priority viewing area is set up at the front of the stage for passport ticket holders, who can enter first (entry is planned to start at 2:40 PM).
About Mika Ninagawa
Ninagawa works mainly in photography and also creates films, video and spatial works, and has won numerous awards including the Kimura Ihei Photography Award. In recent years she has expanded her range of expression, creating large-scale installations as Mika Ninagawa with EiM together with the creative team EiM. A large-scale solo exhibition, "Mika Ninagawa with EiM: Alive with Shadows," is scheduled at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, from December 16, 2026 to March 21, 2027.
About Hiroaki Miyata
Miyata is a professor at the Keio University School of Medicine. Building on data science, he works across fields such as medicine, policy and social design as a scientist who envisions the future of people and society, and he serves as the artistic director of the creative team EiM. At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, he served as a Theme Project Producer and built the Better Co-Being pavilion.
Special Talk Session with Hayate Wada (Da-iCE)
At MAEBASHI ART MARKET, Hayate Wada, who was born in Isesaki, Gunma, will propose special vintage outfits together with four vintage clothing shops from his home prefecture. This collaboration is called "VINTAGE AREA," and the participating shops are ONE OF THEM, Handle_6, USED CLOTHING VOID and choujiron. The talk session is held in connection with this project, in partnership with the FM GUNMA radio program "Da-iCE和田颯のハヤラジ".
On the day, in addition to presenting the vintage outfits Wada has selected, he will welcome the owners and staff of the participating shops as guests to talk about their passion for vintage clothing and fashion, the appeal of each shop, and Gunma's vintage culture. Part of the session will be recorded and is scheduled to be broadcast later on "Da-iCE和田颯のハヤラジ" on FM GUNMA.
- Date and time: Saturday, November 21, 2026, 1:00 PM – 1:40 PM (planned)
- Venue: Special booth on the Maebashi Chuo-dori Shopping Street (across from Chuo Event Plaza (中央イベント広場))
- Speakers: Hayate Wada (Da-iCE), ONE OF THEM, USED CLOTHING VOID, Handle_6
- Admission: Free to watch (part of the priority viewing area is by lottery on the day)
About the priority viewing area
A priority viewing area is set up at the front of the stage, and entry is decided by a lottery held on the day.
Lottery details
Those who wish to watch from the priority viewing area should pick up a lottery number card at the venue between 12:00 PM and 12:30 PM. The winning numbers will be announced at 12:30 PM. Winners gather at the designated place at 12:45 PM and enter in numbered order.
People who do not win can still watch from outside the priority viewing area, but depending on how crowded it is on the day, they may be asked to limit their viewing or move to another spot.
- Lottery number card distribution place: Next to the talk session venue, in front of comm
- Distribution time: Saturday, November 21, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
- Winning numbers announced: from 12:30 PM
- Lining up and entry to the priority viewing area: from 12:45 PM
Who can take part in the lottery
People who meet either of the following conditions can take part.
- Members of the Da-iCE OFFiCiaL FUN CLUB a-i (please show your digital membership card at the time of distribution; expired cards and screenshots are not valid)
- Holders of a Maebashi Biennale 2026 passport ticket (please show a valid passport ticket at the time of distribution)
Notes
- The lottery is not first-come, first-served. Please do not wait in line from an early hour.
- Each person can receive only one lottery number card. Even if both conditions are met, each person can take part in the lottery only once.
- The session may be canceled in bad weather. If bad weather is expected, the outlook for holding the event will be announced by 9:00 PM the day before, and the final decision will be announced on the official website and social media by 9:00 AM on the day.
- Performers, content and the way the event is run on the day may change.
About Hayate Wada (Da-iCE)
Wada is a member of the five-member male group Da-iCE, and his first dome concert is coming up in February 2027. On his own YouTube channel, 「ハヤテと〇〇」, he mainly posts videos about vintage life. Born in Gunma Prefecture, he is the personality of "Da-iCE和田颯のハヤラジ" on the local FM GUNMA and also promotes the appeal of Gunma as a Gunma ambassador (ぐんま特使).
Book Fair at Honya Suimon (本屋 水紋)
Honya Suimon (本屋 水紋), an independent bookstore that opened on the Maebashi Chuo-dori Shopping Street in July 2025, is holding a book fair featuring selections by artists and galleries taking part in the Maebashi Biennale 2026. Participants from fields such as art, architecture and food choose their own books, books that inspired their work, and collections of works, which are introduced and sold along with comments on why they were chosen. Visitors can take home the perspectives and sensibilities of the artists they met at the festival through a single book.
- Period and venue:
- November 21 (Saturday) and 22 (Sunday): the "Honya Suimon" booth inside MAEBASHI ART MARKET
- From the end of the market until December 20 (Sunday): Honya Suimon (Maebashi Chuo-dori Shopping Street)
- Selections by: Artists and galleries participating in the Maebashi Biennale 2026
Honya Suimon is an independent bookstore whose books are selected by its owner, Ryota Ozawa (小澤亮太), who was born in Maebashi and has worked at a book distributor. Focusing on novels, essays, town development, history and daily life, it aims to be a place where books extend connections between people and the town.
MAEBASHI ART MARKET – A Take-Home Art Festival Event Information
- Name: MAEBASHI ART MARKET – A Take-Home Art Festival Produced by MEET YOUR ART with Kazemachi Yuyake Marche (風街夕やけマルシェ)
- Date and time: Saturday, November 21, 2026, 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM / Sunday, November 22, 2026, 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Venue: Maebashi Chuo-dori Shopping Street
- Admission: Free (a Maebashi Biennale 2026 passport ticket is not required)
- Contents: Art, craft, fashion, food and drink, talk events, a book fair, special projects and more
- Note: The event may be canceled in bad weather. If bad weather is expected, the outlook for holding the event will be announced by 9:00 PM the day before, and the final decision will be announced on the official website and social media by 9:00 AM on the day.
FUNclusion Week in Maebashi, a Collaboration with HERALBONY, on December 5 and 6
HERALBONY is a creative company that carries the mission 「異彩を、放て。」 and aims to create new culture, starting from changing the image of disability and from welfare. In collaboration with HERALBONY, "FUNclusion Week in Maebashi" will be held on Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, timed to coincide with Persons with Disabilities Week (December 3 – 9) during the festival.
The event's tagline is 「ここは、『みんなのふつう』でできている街。」 ("This is a town made of 'everyone's normal'").
Based on the concept of FUNclusion, a combination of "FUN" and "Inclusion," hands-on workshops that use all five senses, created together with a variety of creators, are set up at the Miyaken Genki 21 Nigiwai Hall (ミヤケン元気21にぎわいホール), next to Arts Maebashi. Rather than treating differences in disability, age, nationality and values as something "to be understood," the event turns them into encounters that make people feel "that's interesting" and "I want to know more." It is a two-day social experiment in which curiosity brings people together and new relationships take root in the town of Maebashi.
1. Amigo Koike's Secret Hideout Where Anyone Can Paint (小池アミイゴの 誰でも絵が描ける ひみつきち)
Co-created with Amigo Koike (小池アミイゴ).
Photo: Mika Hashimoto (橋本美花)
On the morning of the first day, a hideout is built out of cardboard, and visitors add drawings to it, growing it over the two days. The paint used is water-based and bleeds. Visitors can enjoy letting colors spill over or mix with the colors next to them, and how it ends up is left in everyone's hands.
Note: Please wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty. (Water-based acrylic paint that does not come out in the wash is used.)
- Hours:
- Saturday, December 5: "Building" session 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM / "Growing" session 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM
- Sunday, December 6: "Growing" session 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (paused from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM)
- How to join: The "Building" session on Saturday, December 5 requires advance reservation (first come, first served, up to 20 people; same-day participation is also possible, with numbered tickets distributed). The "Growing" session needs no reservation and is open to anyone.
- Reservation form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeofvodMFDV17oegQ2Tw6nraet3hnQWQK9wuJAjibcXEjtjDQ/viewform?usp=send_form
2. Tactile Arcade by MAGNET (触覚のゲームセンター by MAGNET)
Co-created with MAGNET.
Photo: Mika Hashimoto (橋本美花)
This is a slightly unusual arcade without a single screen, where the sense in your fingertips is what you rely on. Touch, check, tell someone, and touch again. Whether with friends, family or someone you just met, players find themselves falling into step with each other as they get absorbed.
- Hours: Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- How to join: No reservation needed; open to anyone.
3. The Quiet, Noisy Bakery (しずかでうるさいパン屋さん)
Co-created with ろうちょ〜会.
Photo: Mika Hashimoto (橋本美花)
This is a bakery that does not use voices. Using product names such as 「ぐるぐる」, 「さくふわ」 and 「もちもち」 as clues, customers place their orders with gestures. Sometimes the bread they get is not the one they thought they had asked for, but the people there enjoy those differences too as they work out together how to get their message across.
- Hours: Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM (ends when the products run out)
- How to join: No reservation needed; first come, first served. The products are free.
- Cooperation: Maebashi City Welfare Association for the Hearing Impaired (前橋市聴覚障害者福祉協会)
4. The Invisible Dagashi Shop (見えない駄菓子屋)
Co-created with Kensuke Ishii (石井健介), a blind communicator (December 6 only), and Miki Kawabata (川端みき), a blind communicator.
Photo: Mika Hashimoto (橋本美花)
This is a dagashi (traditional Japanese penny candy) shop run by blind communicators. In pairs, participants search for a candy they have been assigned, such as "grape-flavored gum," without using their sight, relying on touch, sound and smell. After shopping, everyone compares answers by asking "How did you choose?"
- Hours: Four sessions each day on Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6
- 1st: 10:20 AM – 11:20 AM / 2nd: 11:40 AM – 12:40 PM / 3rd: 1:40 PM – 2:40 PM / 4th: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
- Eligibility: Elementary school students and older
- How to join: Advance reservation required (first come, first served, up to 12 people per session; same-day participation is also possible, with numbered tickets distributed)
- Reservation form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZEEMnfo_fib4sk9wsEBc4covImL33tQyTg_MhQQSVIzjKoQ/viewform
About Kensuke Ishii
After working in the apparel and interior industries and then as a freelance sales and PR professional, Ishii lost his sight overnight in April 2016. He began working as a blind communicator in 2021, holding workshops and giving lectures. In February 2025 he joined HERALBONY on a contract basis, where he serves as a DE&I training instructor and a facilitator of conversational art appreciation.
About Miki Kawabata
Kawabata graduated from the Faculty of Music at Ferris University (フェリス女学院大学). After working at the experiential entertainment venue Dialogue in the Dark, she now works as an instructor for corporate training and a workshop facilitator. She is also an active singer, known for her clear voice and expressive singing.
FUNclusion Week in Maebashi Event Information
- Name: FUNclusion Week in Maebashi
- Date and time: Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6, 2026, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Venue: Miyaken Genki 21 Nigiwai Hall (next to Arts Maebashi)
- Contents: Amigo Koike's Secret Hideout Where Anyone Can Paint / Tactile Arcade by MAGNET / The Quiet, Noisy Bakery / The Invisible Dagashi Shop
- Accessibility: For the accessibility of the venue (Miyaken Genki 21 Nigiwai Hall) and the event as a whole, as well as the accessibility of each program, please check the official website.
- URL: https://maebashi-biennale.com/events/642/
- Planned by: HERALBONY
- Cooperation: Maebashi City Disability Welfare Division (前橋市障害福祉課)
Yoichi Ochiai's New Public Artwork "Liquid Universe" to Open in Late November
The new public artwork "Liquid Universe" (《リキッドユニバース》) by media artist Yoichi Ochiai, which was scheduled to be completed and installed during the Maebashi Biennale 2026, will open to the public in late November.
The work is an outdoor video piece with two large LED screens installed on the second-floor exterior wall of a building in the central area of Maebashi. In imagery generated in real time by generative AI, the body surfaces of various creatures and organic objects keep changing shape as if they were liquid, and the same image never appears twice. The left and right screens respond to each other and change the building's expression, bringing Ochiai's vision of "Digital Nature" (計算機自然), in which the natural worlds outside and inside the computer mix together, into Maebashi's cityscape.
Liquid Universe, rendering of the completed work (daytime)
Liquid Universe, rendering of the completed work (night)
Liquid Universe: Exhibition Information
- Title: 《リキッドユニバース》 | Liquid Universe
- Opening date: Late November 2026 (to be announced on the official website and the official Instagram once decided)
- Location: Tengen Building (天元ビル), 2-1-10 Honmachi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-0023
- Admission: Free
About Yoichi Ochiai
Ochiai is a media artist born in 1987 who began his artistic activities around 2010. He is a professor at the University of Tsukuba and an associate professor at the University of Tokyo, and served as a Theme Project Producer at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. His major awards include the Ars Electronica Honorary Mention (2016) and the SXSW Creative Experience ARROW Awards Best Immersive Experience (2019, for the Japan Pavilion, which he led as general director).
Maebashi Biennale 2026 Information
- Name: 1st Maebashi Biennale 2026
- Theme: 「めぶく。Where good things grow.」
- Venues: Arts Maebashi, Maebashi Galleria (まえばしガレリア), Shiroiya Hotel, and the central urban area of Maebashi
- Period: Saturday, September 19 to Sunday, December 20, 2026
- Hours: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (last entry 30 minutes before closing)
- Closed: Wednesdays during the period
- Note: Mirocomachiko's works at Shiroiya Hotel can be viewed at any time during the festival. Some works on the hotel grounds can be viewed only by guests staying at the hotel or using its dining facilities.
- Passport ticket: General ¥3,000 (tax included), students ¥2,000 (tax included), and more. For pricing details and how to buy tickets, please check the official website.
- Official website: https://maebashi-biennale.com/
