The details of the third Setouchi Triennale 2016, opening on March 20, 2016, were announced on the 21st at Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall. Aiming to transform the Setouchi into a "Sea of Hope," the festival's theme is "Restoring the Sea." The festival will run for a total of 108 days, from March 20 to April 17, 2016 in spring, from July 18 to September 4 in summer, and from October 8 to November 6 in autumn. In addition to exhibiting artworks and architecture and hosting events, next year's festival will also focus on a food project featuring Setouchi cuisine, cultural exchange with the world, primarily Asia, and collaboration with other regions within the prefecture and the Setouchi region. General Director Fram Kitagawa stated, "Being local is being global. The unique characteristics of each island are strongly reflected in its food. And art, too, is built on the foundation of food," expressing his intention to promote the cuisine of the Seto Inland Sea, blessed with abundant ingredients from its mountains and seas. This year's exhibit features 177 artists and projects from 25 countries and regions, showcasing works that sublimate the unique characteristics of each island and region into art, including a work by Shinro Ohtake using a needle factory on Teshima, a huge wind chime installation by Christian Boltanski, a work set in a private home by Sputniko!, and a new bonsai proposal by Masashi Hirao and the Prefectural Bonsai Production Promotion Council. The venue also featured performances by Snuff Puppets, a giant puppet show troupe from Australia, and Seppuku Pistols, a group that lives in work clothes and performs traditional Japanese instruments across Japan. The sound of traditional Japanese instruments suddenly filled the venue, where many people wore suits, and giant puppets strutted about the grounds, raising expectations for next year's Setouchi Triennale.
Kitagawa addressed the audience, saying, "While this art festival began as a tourism initiative, we are deeply committed to the local area, and we sincerely hope that it will bring joy and smiles to the local people, and that it will also bring happiness to those who visit the festival." He conveyed the message that the triennial triennale aims to inspire local people to take pride in their history.
The main visual, designed by Hara Kenya, uses a ship motif to symbolize the joy of touring the islands and visiting the art.
