Knots Art Festival at サンタナ学園
観て、描いて、奏でて、食べて、ときどき踊って！
みんなを結ぶアートのお祭り
開催日：11月1日（土）・2日（日）
時 間：午前の部（10:00〜12:30）
午後の部（13:30〜16:00）
各日２部完全入れ替え制で実施予定
※各回45名事前予約制
会 場：サンタナ学園（滋賀県愛知郡愛荘町）
参加費：各回1,200円 / 通しチケット2,400円
※軽食込み
Event Overview
The event will be held at Santana Gakuen, a Brazilian school in Shiga Prefecture, and participants will transcend language and cultural differences to exchange greetings, share delicious food, view artworks, create together, and enjoy dancing and musical performances during the two-and-a-half-hour program.
Since 2022, Knots for the Arts has been engaging in artistic exchanges with Santana School of Art, working with a variety of professionals including curators, educators, and architects.
This year, artists Oro Min-kyung and Yang Jae-gwang have been invited from South Korea, and Santana Academy and the project team are conducting pre-event workshops to prepare for the festival.
The two-day, two-part festival is expected to attract a total of approximately 300 participants, including Santana Gakuen students, parents, and related parties, as well as local residents, participants from other prefectures and overseas, project teams, and volunteers.
The experience of creating something together with others connects us not as "strangers" but as "you and me," and serves as an opportunity to build relationships. This festival is not just about meeting people on the day of the event, but is about fostering long-lasting connections.
Come experience new experiences with us!
Knots Art Festivalとは？
The event is held in the Santana Gakuen school building, which was established in 1998, and aims to overcome cultural and language barriers through art and connect local residents with the Brazilian community in Japan. Santana Gakuen caters to children (aged 0-18) whose parents came to Japan from Brazil as workers, and continues to operate on a daily basis despite limited public support.
This festival is a unique initiative that connects schools with local communities that face educational and cultural challenges.
What is the venue, Santana Gakuen?
Artist
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Ohro Min Kyung
Staff: Play it!
Based in Seoul, Korea.
He explores the power of "small things" that move us, such as light, shadow, energy, and relationships, and creates works that interact with the audience in space using a variety of sensory media and techniques, including sound, air, and lighting.
He has not only worked in video and installation art, but also in sound performances, theater, film, and collaborations with other performers. He has held solo exhibitions at Art Jamsil (2022) and Factory 2 (2019), and participated in group exhibitions at Arko Museum of Art (2024) and Nam June Paik Museum of Art (2023). His works are housed in the collections of Gyeonggi Provincial Museum of Art and other institutions.
Mari Nakai
Staff: Draw it!
Based in Shiga Prefecture.
He is involved in many project-based design projects, and in recent years has been developing the "Shiga Story" project.
In collaboration with Kim In-sook, he has worked on the editorial design of the collection "Two Projects in Seongbuk-dong" (2021), joined the project team for the "Santana Gakuen Art Project 2023" and edited and designed the art book "Beyond the Door - Me and You, Shiga and Art" (2024), and was responsible for the visual art direction of the "Knots Art Festival at Santana Gakuen" (2025).
Takeshi Kurokawa
Staff: Dance!
Born in Shimane Prefecture in 1994. Lives in Kyoto Prefecture.
While confronting the joy, mystery, and difficulty of touching (or attempting to touch) various objects and events with his own body, he creates works that focus on discovering ways to interact with the materials and subjects he is dealing with at the time, or the process of trying to discover these ways.
Certified recipient of the Kyoto City Special Incentive Program for Arts and Culture in 2023.
Kim In-sook
担当：観て！撮って！
ソウルと東京を拠点に活動。
コミュニティと関係を築きながら、社会的・文化的な属性を越えて、一人ひとりの個性に向き合うプロジェクトを展開し、その協働のプロセスを体験するインスタレーションを制作。
国内外の美術館や芸術祭で作品を発表し、国立現代美術館(韓国)、東京都写真美術館などに作品が収蔵されている。2022年から現在に続くサンタナ学園との出会いについて表現した「Eye to Eye」の連作により、木村伊兵衛写真賞(2024)、文部科学大臣芸術選奨新人賞(2025)などを受賞。
Yang Jae-kwang
Staff: Take a picture!
Based in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.
He is interested in all things that are thrown away, and is currently working on a project to weave stories from these objects. He is currently developing video and photographic works based on documentaries and recitation plays. With support from Gyeonggi Province and Seongnam City, he has held solo exhibitions at Woonjoong Gallery (2025) and Seongnam Culture and Arts Center (2024), among others. He has participated in group exhibitions at Seoul Museum of Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and Contemporary Art Museum Houston.
His works are included in the collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Art Bank, among others.
Takahito Ozawa
Staff: Take a picture!
Based in Shiga Prefecture.
A photographer who continues to pursue expression by cutting into the city.
He has held solo exhibitions at Dear Gallery NARA (2025) and Gallery Bi0 (2016), and has participated in group exhibitions such as Marronnier Gallery (2017-2024), Dali International Photography Festival (China, 2021), Pingyao International Photography Festival (China, 2021), and YOSHITOMI PHOTO FESTIVAL (2017-2020).
Received the Encouragement Award at the 25th Photography "1_WALL" (2022 Noguchi Rika Selection).
cooperation
Yamada Chiani
As a bilingual Japanese and Portuguese speaker, he is a communicator who will be with us throughout the entire process, from workshops to the preparation period and even the festival itself.
He came to Japan from Brazil when he was 8 years old.
Since then, he has continued to travel between Japan and Brazil, and is now playing a role in connecting Portuguese-speaking and Japanese-speaking participants.
The exhibition also features texts that describe his upbringing and the thoughts he had while participating as a communicator.
He is the father of Felipe and Maria, who attend Santana Academy.
A performer who fills the school with the sounds of the accordion.
This time, as a special appearance, he will perform live with his daughter Maria in the morning and afternoon sessions on November 1st.
Adriano Miyake
The team consists of Yasukawa Yuki, who is in charge of design, production, and planning, Tomiyoshi Miho, who is in charge of workshops and design, and artist Yamazaki Eisuke.
He is responsible for the creation and construction of the festival's exhibition structures, murals and sound
As a workshop staff member
cooperation.
Atelier Cafe LLC
cooperation
Hajime Yamada, Yuri Yamada, Kiyomi Noguchi, Yu Yokoi, Yoshishiro Akazawa, Yuki Matsui, Shizue Bruna Matsubara, Tsumita Midori,
Kim Se-hyun, Emi YAMAMOTO, Suzuki Daito, Kawada Kazumasa, Miyazaki Chiyoshiko, Park Jeong-hye, Kim Mi-hyun
Organizers, sponsors, and supporters
Organized by: Knots for the Arts (Kim In-suk, Sugita Momo, Nishida Shoko)
Sponsors: Omi Toraijin Club, Sony Marketing Inc.
Supported by: Shiga Prefecture, Shiga International Association, Mori Art Museum
Supported by: Kawamura Cultural Arts Foundation, Takahashi Kikuko, Kim Hyeju, Yamaki Kasumi
Cooperation: Santana Gakuen
program
Watch! ①
Kim In-sook's work "Eye to Eye," which records the process of her encounter with Santana Gakuen, will be exhibited for the first time in Shiga!
You can see it in various places inside Santana Academy, where the production took place.
Watch it! ②
The exhibition will feature texts and materials that provide a glimpse into the circumstances surrounding Santana Gakuen and the workshops with children on the 2002-2025 project.
Draw it!
A large painting will be created under the eaves of Santana Gakuen, a school of prefabricated and detached houses, depicting the festival participants overlapping and uniting as one.
Take a photo! ①
受付時にお渡しする同じ色を持つ参加者を探し、グループをつくり、サンタナ学園の子どもたちに撮影してもらいましょう。
Take a photo! ②
Once everyone is gathered, the artist will take a "family photo of strangers"!
Eat it!
Enjoy delicious home-cooked meals by Santana Gakuen's principal, Ms. Kenko Nakata! You can also enjoy churrasco grilled by the fathers and Brazilian cuisine that children eat in their school lunches!
Play it! ①
performance
"Small Moves, Big Songs: A Forest Connected by Everyone"
We have invited Oro Minkyung from Korea, an artist who works on media works, exhibitions, music, and performances, to create new instruments from stones, branches, and leaves found in the natural surroundings of the school, and we will play them while listening and sharing.
Play it! ②
Workshop
"Small Moves, Big Songs: A Forest Connected by Everyone"
A workshop where everyone can make musical instruments for performance.
Together with Ohro Minkyung , we will create new instruments while exploring the sounds of pieces of nature we can find around the school !
Play it! ③
Adriano Miyake, the father of Felipe and Maria, who attend Santana Academy, makes a special appearance!
On November 1st, she will be performing the sounds of the accordion together with her daughter Maria in the morning and afternoon sessions.
Dance! ①
"Fumi Fumi Bon Odori" was created by artist Kurokawa Gaku.
"Fumifumi" is a gesture that cats make when they are happy, where they move their front paws rhythmically, alternating between them. Other cats may also stomp in response.
Today, let's all share the joy and dance to the classic Japanese Bon Odori song, "Tanko Bushi," imitating the cat's movements!
Dance! ②
Festa Junina is a lively festival celebrating rural culture held in Brazil every June.
Let's all dance Santana Gakuen's familiar dance to celebrate Festa Junina in autumn in Japan!
Support the festival
We are looking for individuals, organizations, and companies who support the purpose of the Knots Art Festival and can help with its operation.
Your cooperation will help create a new cultural space that connects the local community with multicultural society.
There are three ways to support us:
Support staff
We are looking for support staff to help with the pre-events (workshops with children) and the operation of the festival itself. Anyone interested in art and international exchange is welcome to join us.
Support in the form of supplies
We are also accepting donations of supplies and equipment necessary for running the festival. Please see the details for the supplies we would like to ask for your cooperation.
Support through sponsorship funds
Sponsorship is available from 10,000 yen per unit. Sponsorship money will be used to cover festival operating costs.