"BEPPU PROJECT" in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, Southwestern Japan, Proposes New Journey to Experience Beppu through Art

BEPPU PROJECT, a nonprofit organization based in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan, has just installed the new artwork "space II" by art team "me" in "ALTERNATIVE-STATE," an art project that started in 2022 to enhance the hot spa-rich city's brand loyalty, as a proposed new journey to experience the city through art.

As one of the world's leading hot spring resorts, Beppu not only boasts a unique culture centered around hot spas, and with them the evocative image of steam rising mysteriously from the earth, but also is proving itself as a hub in the art world, with both local and overseas artistic endeavors gaining steady attention. The combination of these two points of appeal -- natural hot springs and the world of art -- makes Beppu a truly unique travel destination.

Photo1: Yukemuri (steam rising from hot springs)

https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M107359/202602164143/_prw_PI2fl_Oz4m78tc.jpg

ALTERNATIVE-STATE is an art project conceived as "A gateway to a world regenerated into an alternative state," dedicated to community building through art in Beppu City. Now, in 2026, the project features eight permanent pieces by eight artists and artist units active in Japan and abroad, as well as audio works that can only be experienced on location, a newly designed mechanism for fostering a more multifaceted engagement with the art. Introduced below is the newly installed artwork.

#2 space II / Artist: art team "me"

"What would we discover if we were to encounter the world unbound by all our knowledge and preconceived notions?" A gaping hole in an ordinary house leads to a stone cave: this sudden opening in the world invites the viewers into a space different from their own.

Photo2: space II

https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M107359/202602164143/_prw_PI1fl_KEgm5280.jpg

Photo by Shintaro Yamanaka (Qsyum!)

About Beppu City, Oita Prefecture

Beppu is home to a number of additional art spots dotted throughout the town. What's more, every year Beppu not only hosts Art Fair Beppu, where visitors have the chance to meet up-and-coming artists, but also features Beppu Art Month -- a cultural art festival that takes place all over the city.

ALTERNATIVE-STATE: https://alternative-state.com/?lang=en

Art Fair Beppu: https://artfairbeppu.com

Beppu Art Month: https://www.beppuartmonth.com

Tourist Information: WANDER COMPASS BEPPU

https://beppuinfo.jp/en