The Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET is pleased to announce “MonET’s Waterside Festival—From Rice Balls to a Giant Maze,” a Special Exhibition scheduled for summer and fall 2026. “En” is a unique Japanese word that encapsulates concepts such as chance encounters, connections, and destiny—ideas often expressed with multiple words in other languages—all within a single character. Furthermore, “en-nichi” (festival) is a quintessential summer tradition—an ancient festival held at shrines and temples, featuring street stalls offering games like goldfish scooping and target shooting, as well as food and drink stands. People can enjoy themselves, play, and stroll about, experiencing a fleeting dream that takes them briefly away from their daily lives. In this exhibition, centered on the theme of the en-nichi, we will showcase a collection of artworks focused on various games—both large and small—that can be enjoyed alone or with others.

In the *Ryōjin Hisho*, there is a poem that reads: “Was I born to play? Was I born to frolic? When I hear the voices of children at play, even my own body stirs.” Could one of the reasons humans are born be simply to play? If we think of it that way, perhaps the harshness and absurdity of daily life might be softened just a little. In the history of art, artworks centered on the theme of “play” have been a major focus, not only in Surrealism and Dadaism but across the board. In the contemporary era, this has evolved into experiential art, and our museum has previously hosted numerous Special Exhibitions themed around water play and snow play. At night, the artworks will be illuminated. Whether during the day or at night, we invite you to experience this time of “play” with your whole body.

Event Overview

[Dates and Times] July 18 (Sat) – November 8 (Sun), 2026, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (Last admission at 4:30 p.m.)
[Admission] Free admission to the corridor
[Lighting] Sunset – 9:00 p.m.
【Direction】Hara Rintaro + Hara Yu
【Participating Artists】Yu Sato, Mao Shibata, Hara Rintaro + Hara Yu, Megumi Matsubara + Sora Ariyama / ASSISTANT, kajii
【Lighting Supervision】Senju Motomachi Souko

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Related Events

▼Opening Gallery Talk Tour

On the first day of the event, there will be an opening gallery talk led by the curator in the form of a guided tour.
[Date and Time] Saturday, July 18, 1:00 PM–
[Venue] Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET Corridor
[Admission] Free

▼MonET Waterfront Night Market

The event kicks off with Kajii’s musical instrument-making workshop and performance, followed by interactive artworks and a special evening opening of the museum. Starting in the evening, food stalls will line the corridors, adding a lively atmosphere to the event. It’s a one-day-only special nighttime festival.

[Date & Time] September 5 (Sat)
[Venue] Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET Corridor

◆Schedule
2:00 PM– kajii Instrument-Making Workshop
3:00 PM– kajii’s Everyday Object Instrument Concert: “Tableware Sings”
4:00 PM–9:00 PM Food Stalls Open
Until 9:00 PM Night Museum

▼Mao Shibata Workshop

[Date and Time] September 23 (Wed, Holiday) 11:00 a.m.–
[Venue] Museum on Echigo-Tsumari, MonET
*Details will be announced as soon as they are finalized.

▼Food and Beverage

The Corridor Community Space will offer a menu featuring food stall-style dishes.
[Hours] Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays during ETAT: 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

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Curator and Participating Artists

Hara Rintaro + Hara Yu

"Echigo-Tsumari 3D Tsumari Sugoroku," "Snake Ping Pong"

Introducing the “Echigo-Tsumari 3D Sugoroku,” where players become game pieces and move across a giant board, and “Snake Ping Pong,” a mysterious ping-pong table where up to 10 people take turns in a relay-style rally. These are playground-style artworks designed for everyone to enjoy using their whole bodies.

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Participating Artists

Sato Yu

"Onigiri Festival"

A festival that brings people together with Echigo-Tsumari through games inspired by rice balls and rice farming. There are plenty of activities for everyone to enjoy, such as “Domino Taue (planting),” where participants plant dominoes to resemble rice seedlings, and the “Tsumari Rice Ball Roll-Roll Grand Race,” which is sure to be a thrilling competition. At the unique “Combine Cart” food stalls, local parents and children take on the role of shopkeepers and sell traditional Japanese snacks.

Mao Shibata

"Blue Lotus"

“Blue Lotus” is an attempt to reexamine the relationship between “seeing” and “existing” at the intersection of light and water, matter and imagery. Just as a lotus stretches from the mud toward the light, the exhibition quietly depicts the “contemporary forms” that emerge between reality and illusion, the body and data, and memory and the present. For this exhibition, approximately 20 artworks will be displayed in a pond.

Megumi Matsubara + Sora Ariyama / ASSISTANT

"Un/Maze"

This artwork is a modular spatial system in which visibility, movement, and access vary according to the scale of the body, simultaneously generating multiple incongruent spatial experiences within a single physical grid. In this structure, space is not conceived as a fixed object of navigation, but rather as an environment generated by the viewer’s point of view. Spatial continuity is not universal; it is segmented vertically, allowing different perceptual domains to coexist within the same structure.

kajii

"A Grove of Sounds Created by Everyday Items"

Let’s turn mysterious sounds produced by everyday objects into musical instruments. We’re showcasing a selection of our best artworks from the many original instruments we’ve created to date, including bolt wind chimes and the “Shokkin.” Please feel free to touch them and hear the sounds for yourself.

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