ART COLLABORATION KYOTO 2026

WITH 63 GALLERIES, A NEW CURATED EXHIBITION AND TALKS FROM ARTHUR JAFA TO KAZUYO SEJIMA, ACK RETURNS TO KYOTO FROM NOVEMBER 7 TO 9

PHOTO COURTESY OF ART COLLABORATION KYOTO (ACK) EXCEPT AS NOTED

(For Thai, press  here)

Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK) is a contemporary art fair held in Kyoto since 2021, with a focus on culture and ‘collaboration.’ It presents partnerships between Japanese and international galleries, between the public and private sectors, and between the art world and Kyoto’s other cultural communities.

From November 7 to 9, 2026, Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK) returns for its sixth edition at the Kyoto International Conference Center (ICC Kyoto). The fair welcomes 63 galleries from 18 countries/regions and 24 cities, featuring a diverse and compelling lineup of programming, including:

ACK Intersections, a curated exhibition offering artists opportunities to engage with the venue’s space both indoor and outdoor in unexpected ways; ACK Talks, a diverse series of conversations featuring artists and industry leaders such as Kazuyo Sejima, Arthur Jafa, and Kim Sunjung; ACK Kids’ Programs, three days of dedicated programming for children; Special Programs, presented in collaboration with ACK partners; What’s On, additional exhibitions held across Kyoto; as well as the BCK Fellowship, organized in partnership with Bangkok Kunsthalle, which offers award-winning residency opportunity in Bangkok.

Details of each program follow.

Gallery Collaborations & Kyoto Meetings

The fair is organized into two main sections: Gallery Collaborations, which pair Japanese and international galleries to share a booth, and Kyoto Meetings, which present works with a distinct connection to the city of Kyoto.

Gallery Collaborations comprises 52 galleries: 25 Japanese host galleries (from Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka) and 27 international guest galleries, paired in shared booths. Highlights include:

• TARO NASU (Tokyo) × Hauser & Wirth (Zurich) present ‘letters’ as a core element of contemporary art, through works by Louise Bourgeois, Marcel Broodthaers, Jenny Holzer, Roni Horn, and Glenn Ligon, among others.
• NANZUKA (Tokyo) × Jeffrey Deitch (New York) present a group exhibition of artists ranging from the avant-garde to emerging talents, building on a collaboration that began in 2019.
• KANEGAE (Kyoto) × ATTA (Bangkok) present Wearable Arts, an exhibition on contemporary jewelry and a new definition of ‘wearing,’ with works by Apinya Boonprakob, Rudee Tancharoen, David Bielander, Fuyuki Maehara, and Mari Kobayashi.

Kyoto Meetings feature presentations by Japanese and international galleries with ties to Kyoto, whether historical, material, architectural, craft-related, or natural. Highlights include Shiro Tsujimura’s solo exhibition Living by imura art gallery; a two-person exhibition of Yang Chi-Chuan and Faye Wei Wei by Kiang Malingue; works by Tomie Ohtake, an artist born in Kyoto who lived in São Paulo, presented by Mendes Wood DM; and a group of fountain sculptures by Jean-Michel Othoniel from PERROTIN.

ACK Intersections: Out of Bounds

ACK launches ACK Intersections this year, a curated exhibition debuting in 2026. It offers an alternative mode of presentation that gives artists the opportunity to use the venue in unexpected ways.

Intersections 2026 takes the theme ‘Out of Bounds’ under guest curator Leonhard Bartolomeus of the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM). The theme asks how invisible systems, social conventions, and digital environments shape the way we connect with one another.

Participating artists include Efrain Almeida, Kaneuji Teppei, Piotrek Kowalski, Kris Lemsalu, Matsudaira Rina, Ernesto Neto, Ohno Ayako, Otaguro Emi, Suzuki Shota, Leah Ke Yi Zheng

More information: https://a-c-k.jp/en/intersections/

ACK Talks

This year’s talk series explores the potential of art as a medium of communication, at a time when social conditions and advances in AI and other technologies raise new questions about human connection. Topics include communicating and sharing values, conveying ideas and aesthetics, and the relationship between the individual and history.

Speakers across the three days include Arthur Jafa (artist/filmmaker), Kazuyo Sejima (architect), Kim Sunjung (Artistic Director, Art Sonje Center), Tomio Koyama (Founder, Tomio Koyama Gallery), Maya Man (artist), Satoshi Suzuki (Chairman and Representative Director, POLA Orbis Holdings Inc. / Chairman, Pola Art Foundation), David Teh (independent curator / Associate Professor, National University of Singapore), Yukako Yamashita (Art Producer / CEO, YMKY Inc.), and Leonhard Bartolomeus, with additional speakers to be announced.

Venue: ICC Kyoto New Hall

The full talk schedule for November 7–9 is available at: https://a-c-k.jp/en/talks/

ACK Kids’ Programs

To nurture an appreciation of art in children, ACK offers programs at ICC Kyoto built around two core experiences: ‘Seeing’ and ‘Making.’

• ‘Seeing’ Guided Tours: Art tours that encourage children to experience art through close observation and conversation as they walk through the venue. All tours are led by the Art Communication Research Center (ACC) at Kyoto University of the Arts.
• ‘Making’ Workshops: Daily workshops in which children get to know materials and tools alongside artists from different fields (Workshops are conducted in Japanese only; advance registration is required, and participation is free of charge.)

The fair also features Kids’ Studio, a walk-in space stocked with a variety of tools and materials where children can create freely between workshops.

More information: https://a-c-k.jp/en/for-kids/

Special Programs

ACK is supported in 2026 by lead partners MITSUBISHI ESTATE CO., LTD. and TSUTAYA BOOKS, along with more than 40 partners. This year, 11 partner companies present projects at ICC Kyoto, spanning contemporary art, jewelry, emerging artists, and initiatives in Kyoto. Examples include:

• NEW STREAM, supported by JINTEC Corporation, brings together emerging artists encountering Kyoto’s landscape, culture, and people, with a sustainable support model built on affordable first-time collecting and the reinvestment of 10% of sales.
• TSUTAYA BOOKS co-creates a café space that doubles as a workspace, while TOHO-LEO CO., LTD. hosts an exclusive tour of Kyoto’s northern Rakuhoku district with Theaster Gates.
• Pommery Prize Kyoto 2026 (4th edition) supports emerging artists in Kyoto. Works by the three finalists will be shown in the VIP lounge, and the grand prize winner will be invited to Reims, France, by Champagne Pommery.

More information: https://a-c-k.jp/en/special-programs/

What’s On: Art Across Kyoto

Throughout ACK week, exhibitions and art events take place across the city, including special presentations by participating galleries in historic temples and distinctive venues. Examples include:

• Issy Wood and Evelyn Taocheng Wang at Korin-in, Daitoku-ji Temple, presented by Carlos/Ishikawa
• Andrew Cranston at Ryosoku-in Temple, presented by Modern Art and Ingleby Gallery
• Yuka Kashihara at Komyo-in, supported by Tomio Koyama Gallery

ACK also collaborates with Kyoto Art Month, organized by the City of Kyoto from October through November, through projects such as Art Rhizome KYOTO, CURATION⇄FAIR Kyoto, and KYOTO Modern Architecture Festival.

Bangkok Collaborate Kyoto Fellowship (BCK Fellowship)

Initiated in 2025 by Bangkok Kunsthalle in partnership with ACK, the BCK Fellowship offers award recipients a residency and exhibition opportunity in Bangkok, exposing artists to a different culture and broadening their perspectives on artistic expression. All artists exhibiting at ACK 2026 are automatically considered.

The 2026 jury comprises Marisa Chearavanont (Founder and President, Bangkok Kunsthalle), Stefano Rabolli Pansera (Director, Bangkok Kunsthalle), Yukako Yamashita (Art Producer / CEO, YMKY Inc.), and Takuro Tamayama (artist and Grand Prize winner of BCK Fellowship 2025). The result will be announced at the award ceremony on November 8, 17:00-18:30.

Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK) will be held at the Kyoto International Conference Center (ICC Kyoto) from November 7 to 9, 2026. Tickets can be booked at https://a-c-k.jp/en/tickets/

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