Kitakagaya BIG★BANG, a moment of excitement woven by art and creativity in Kitakagaya

A project to develop various art forms in the creative town of Kitakagaya.
The year 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Creative Center Osaka (CCO), the center of Kitakagaya’s “Art Town Development. This year is also the year of the 1970 World Expo, and we are calling it “Kitakagaya BIG★BANG” in reference to the famous words of Taro Okamoto, the producer of the 1970 World Expo theme exhibition, “Art is an explosion,” and hope to make it a year of “big explosion” for the future of the city. They will enliven the city together with the Expo through a variety of programs that will allow visitors to Kitakagaya to spend time filled with excitement through creative experiences.

Project Inauguration

Chishima Land Co., Ltd. has been involved in “creating an art town” in Kitakagaya by opening a variety of creative bases, including a repository of large-scale artworks, a cultural complex, and private art museums.
Currently, murals and various other artworks are scattered throughout the city, and about 150 artists and creators are active in about 50 locations.
They started this project in the hope that the Osaka-Kansai Expo will show the creative charm of Kitakagaya to the world and lead to further development in the future.

Project Activities

With the hosting of the Expo, many people from Japan and abroad are expected to visit Osaka.
They would like to take this opportunity to enhance the attractiveness of the area by developing restaurants and accommodations in addition to the existing creative hub, so that more people can visit Kitakagaya and enjoy the entire town, including its art.
In addition, various events will be held throughout the year, including an exhibition of “Rubber Duck,” an artwork by Dutch artist Florentin Hoffmann, who is now a symbol of the Osaka waterfront area.

Future Prospects for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo

They want more people to know about and visit Kitakagaya.
In 2025, they will hold a variety of events throughout the year to widely publicize the appeal of Kitakagaya as a city of art, and in anticipation of the After Expo, they will also promote new initiatives to attract a new demographic.
They also look forward to future developments, such as the development of the next generation of creative human resources through programs that combine art and inquiry-based learning, and environmentally friendly community development unique to Kitakagaya, which has pioneered the revitalization of abandoned factories and vacant houses.