We just received the disappointing but understandable news that the Sapporo International Art Festival 2020 has been cancelled. The show, which takes place in Sapporo, Japan in December, was to feature an exciting line up of artworks including ArchaeaBot by Alex May and Anna Dumitriu.
The Sapporo International Art Festival Executive Committee has been engaged in preparations for the Sapporo International Art Festival 2020 scheduled to be held in December for quite some time, and planned to make a final announcement regarding participating artists, artworks and other details in September.
However, due to the possibility that travel restrictions and calls to refrain from the transfer of personnel amidst the continuing global spread of COVID-19 could make it difficult to not only prepare for and make the exhibition a reality but also appreciate the artworks and performances while experiencing the appeal of Sapporo in winter, as well as the fact that a delay in making such a decision would place a tremendous burden on all parties involved, the Executive Committee has regrettably decided to cancel Sapporo International Art Festival 2020.
It should be noted that plans are slated to compile the details of this art festival, which was planned and developed over the course of more than two years, as well as information on participating artists, artwork ideas, and publish a documentation on the SIAF2020 website and other platforms going forward soon.
Going forward, the Sapporo International Art Festival Executive Committee will carry out discussions regarding the holding of Sapporo International Art Festival 2023.
While we are obviously saddened not to have the opportunity to take part in the exhibition, we fully support the difficult decision made by the organisers to cancel the event in light of the continuing international pandemic and wish them every success for their future events.