The Setouchi Triennale, an art festival started in 2010, brought attention to the islands of the Seto Inland Sea as a creative center. On Shodoshima, art has the vital role of deepening connections in the community as people work together to raise the island’s appeal.

(Photo: Hideaki Hamada)

Compared to big cities, smaller islands offer fewer opportunities to come in contact with prominent art and artists, so Mayor Yukio Shiota’s aim is to maintain the highest level of quality on the island's regional development team to draw out the latent ambitions, abilities and sensibilities of the island’s residents.

“There are a lot of non-Japanese visitors to Shodoshima,” he explains, “but Patrick is the first to actually contact the island administration and express a desire to both live here and pursue his work for the island. He’s young but already has a proven record, and he’s eager to show the world the appeal of our island through his art.”

(Photo: Yoshiro Masuda)

The mild-mannered Tsai is still young but has a number of achievements to his name, including two photo books, The World Above and Modern Times, and experience teaching photography at the Japan campus of Temple University.

“I came to this island for the first time when I was commissioned to participate in Art Shodoshima Teshima 2014,” says Tsai. “During my five-week stay, I had the opportunity to speak with many people, take pictures, and bring everything together into a children’s book entitled Aru Shima-ni. I found that the true charm of Shodoshima lies in its natural wonders and the warmth of its people.

"My experience here that summer marked a big turning point in my life. Up until then, I had worked extensively in advertising photography in Tokyo to make a living, but I realized that creating artwork was more important to me than making money, and that I should keep them separate. Because the island had taught me a lot about myself, I wanted to show my appreciation to Shodoshima in return.”

Along with the other development team members, Tsai now manages a regional art center for people of all ages, including an art gallery showcasing the works of his students.

“There are many art festivals in the area,” Tsai says. “But they tend to involve artists from outside the island. I noticed that their work often cannot make a connection with the locals, and because of that, the locals tend to dismiss art as something they don’t understand, which is a problem. I believe that art can be a very powerful thing, and it can be made by anyone. With a little help, the people of Shodoshima can make works just as good as those outside artists, or maybe even better. And by doing so, it will help promote the island in many ways both inside Japan and abroad.”