Opera Grass Babies, Moon Babies MORE THAN MUSICAL with Ei Arakawa-Nash
Participatory Vocal Performance & Pavilion Collaboration 61st Venice Biennale – Giardini, Venice
Dates: Sunday, August 30; Tuesday, September 1; Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Performers: Yasushi Hirano (Bass-baritone) and Arielle Yuhyun Jeon (Soprano)
Venue: Circulatory performance starting at the Japan Pavilion and traveling to the Korean Pavilion, at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia
Schedule:
Sunday, August 30: 11:30 a.m. (1st) / 4:00 p.m. (2nd) / 5:00 p.m. (3rd)
Tuesday, September 1: 11:30 a.m. (1st) / 4:00 p.m. (2nd) / 5:00 p.m. (3rd)
Wednesday, September 2: 11:30 a.m. (1st) / 4:00 p.m. (2nd) / 5:00 p.m. (3rd)
Experience a Living, Breathing Artwork
Step beyond traditional performance into a one-of-a-kind participatory vocal experience that turns you into a co-creator. This immersive “opera” — part sound journey, part social experiment, part shared ritual — dissolves borders between pavilions, nations, performers, and audience. No prior singing experience or opera knowledge needed — just bring your voice and curiosity.
What to Expect
The performance begins at the Japan Pavilion (“origin of voice”), where you’ll encounter primal baby sounds and breath, then respond with your own raw vocalizations. As the group moves together toward the Korean Pavilion (“space of socialization”), voices echo, overlap, and blend. Professional opera singers (bass-baritone Yasushi Hirano and soprano Arielle Yuhyun Jeon) weave these collective sounds into a powerful, a cappella tapestry — all created live from the participants’ contributions.
Directed by Tetsu Taoshita and produced in collaboration with MORE THAN MUSICAL, this circulatory staging blurs the historic divides of the Biennale itself, exploring how listening, responding, and caring for one another shape our shared future. It’s deeply tied to the acclaimed Japan Pavilion exhibition Grass Babies, Moon Babies by Ei Arakawa-Nash (with co-curators Mizuki Takahashi and Lisa Horikawa), which uses baby dolls as symbols of future generations and historical memory.
Why It’s More Than Musical
Participatory & Inclusive: Everyone’s voice matters — families, art lovers, curious visitors, and first-timers all contribute.
Themes of Care & Connection: Reflects on parenting, history, diaspora, hope, and responsibility through sound and movement.
Unique Cross-Pavilion Journey: First official collaboration between Japan and Korean Pavilions, featuring site-specific elements like sculptures crossing borders and shared rituals.
Biennale Highlight: Part of a must-see exhibition already buzzing in global media (The New York Times, Frieze, Artforum, The Guardian, and more).
Free with Biennale admission — no extra ticket required. Sessions are limited by group size for an intimate experience.
Perfect For
Art & culture enthusiasts exploring the Biennale
Families and those interested in participatory experiences
Music lovers seeking innovative contemporary opera
Anyone drawn to themes of community, history, and collective creation
This groundbreaking project reimagines opera as a living social process, made possible through the first crowdfunding campaign for a Japan Pavilion exhibition.
Don’t miss this highlight of the 61st Venice Biennale’s latter half — a poetic, hopeful, and boundary-crossing event where your voice literally helps shape the performance and its vision of the future.
For full exhibition context and updates, visit the official Japan Pavilion site: https://venezia-biennale-japan.jpf.go.jp
Organized by the Japan Pavilion Event Execution Committee with MORE THAN MUSICAL, Taka Ishii Gallery, and The Japan Foundation.
