Teshima is situated between Naoshima and Shodoshima with an area of 14.5 km2, a circumference of 18 km, and a population of about 700.

On the side of Danyama, a mountain that rises from the island’s center, a village spring feeds terraced rice fields that were revived thanks to the Triennale. Every month, volunteers and villagers host an Island Birthday Party to deepen friendships and community bonds.

In response to the illegal dumping of toxic waste on this beautiful island, the Triennale focuses on the island’s inherent abundance, developing projects centered on art and cuisine.

Click here for information on Benesse Art Site Naoshima museums and facilities.

The slopes of Danyama, a mountain that rises 330 meters from the island’s center, are covered in forests of sudajii, a broad-leafed evergreen species that has been designated one of Japan’s natural monuments. Water from the plentiful natural spring in the village center ensured a bountiful rice harvest that not only fed the islanders but was also shipped to other places. The accelerated decline and aging of the island population meant that many terraced fields were abandoned. With the launching of the Triennale, however, some of these have been revived and are now overlooked by the Teshima Art Museum.

During the 1970s, millions of tons of toxic waste were illegally dumped on the western end of the island by off-island companies. When this scandal was exposed, it brought the issue of environmentally sound waste disposal to the forefront of public and government discussions. On this island that suffered not only pollution but the stigma of having been a dumping ground, the Triennale has focused on Teshima’s inherent natural abundance, with particular emphasis on art and cuisine.