Reborn-Art Festival

In the central part of the city of Ishinomaki, artworks are shown at a former public bathhouse which was loved by locals, a skate link, and the Hiyoriyama Park and Ishinomori Manga Museum visited by many tourists coming to Ishinomaki. Although the actual city center moved to northwest around Ishinomaki Kanan IC, the central Ishinomaki city is being regenerated as new art spaces are built one by one.

Onagawa, which is newly added to the exhibition area, is accentuated by Shigeru Ban-designed station building with public bath facilities and the city designed for people to be able to see the ocean. The works are interspersed within walking distance from the Onagawa Station to the sea through the shopping street. The Onagawa Port which made use of the mouth of Onagawa Bay is a good natural port and you might see some anglers.

Momonoura, which is the first exhibition area in the natural settings of the Oshika Peninsula, is a fishing village characterized by oyster culture. The exhibition site is the former Oginohama Elementary School that was closed in 2018. Found in the school yard and around the sea embankment are works from the past RAFs as well. Momonoura Village, RAF’s offcial facilities of accommodation and learning, is located nearby.

Walking along the path through the oyster culture farm, one will find the White Shell Beach, all whitened with oyster shells. Here you find White Deer (Oshika), the work by Kohei Nawa in RAF2017, along with the Reborn-Art Dining and eatery “Hama-saisai,” and added to this melting pot of art and eating are new scenery and a place for making acquaintances.

This area is located around the middle of the Oshika Peninsula and is surrounded by the calm sea and the mountains. At FERMENTO, the venison processing facility, the hunter Nozomu Onodera is trying to make use of deer meat, which is deemed as a noxious animal, as a local resource. Artist Lieko Shiga who presented her work in Kozumi in RAF2019 is continuing her project here.

The southern tip of the Oshika Peninsula can be reached in a one-hour drive from central Ishinomaki. The seascape facing Kinkasan Island, one of the three hallowed grounds in Oshu region is worth seeing. The open sea off the Kinkasan Island is where the Kuroshio current and the Oyashio current collide, and it is one of the three major fishing grounds in the world. Ayukawa used to flourish as a whaling station. In this RAF summer session, only two RAF2019 works are shown.