ACK Curates

ACK Curates 2025 Theme

“2050—A Future Without Borders”

　
How do you envision the world in the year 2050?

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, various forms of labor will become automated, and even the creation of art may soon be within the reach of machines. Or perhaps, humanity may begin to settle on the Moon or other planets, giving rise to new cultures.
The future is shaped by the accumulation of time we live through today. In other words, it is equally important to reflect on the past when we contemplate the future.

The theme “2050—A Future Without Borders” encapsulates three key ideas:

The first is “Equality and Disparity.”
As I traverse diverse countries and regions through ACK, I experience various differences between them.The year 2025 appears entirely different depending on where one lives. In Europe, for example, geopolitical tensions are palpable, casting a sense of crisis over art and culture. In fast developing Southeast Asia, on the other hand, there is a sense of anticipation and excitement towards art. In normal circumstances, it goes without saying that one’s thoughts and opinions are shaped by the environment one resides in. But when there is a heightened fear of the unknown, these differences can become divisive. In order to coexist in diversity and maintain resilience, we must first recognize these disparities, learning from one another through dialogue to complement our differences. ACK aims to create opportunities for such meaningful forms of exchange.

The second is “Scale Changer.”
One of art’s unique characteristics is that it is created with the intention to endure fifty or even one hundred years from now. The materials artists choose and the ideas they embed in their works are connected to the future. Encountering the extended time axes contained within works of art presents opportunities to reconsider how we live and spend our time today. In addition, we hope that by approaching art with an extended view to the future, ACK will offer encounters with art that go beyond fleeting experiences, becoming a platform from which new cultural forms can emerge.

The third is “Collaborative Intelligence.”
Today’s rapidly evolving technologies have greatly enriched our lives. At the same time, they have also given rise to new societal challenges such as climate crisis, economic and environmental inequality. A future dominated by excessive progressivism and conservatism as its antithetical counterpart may well lead to dystopia. In times like these, then, the cultivation of a plurality of perspectives that transcend disciplinary and regional boundaries is becoming all the more important. A resilient future will not be shaped by a single dominant figure, but by diverse individuals sharing different forms of wisdom, supporting one another, and viewing the world from multiple perspectives.

It is in embracing difference and finding harmony between conservatism and inheritance on the one hand and transformation and innovation on the other that will lead us toward “A Future Without Borders.”

While preserving the rich atmosphere of an ancient capital and remaining one of the few cities in the world where traditional culture still thrives, Kyoto has also actively embraced the new, as demonstrated by its hosting of the Kyoto Exposition, Japan’s first world exposition among other examples. Moreover, it is precisely due to Kyoto’s historical legacy that various means have been employed in the inheritance and development of technologies that support its traditions. What sustains these efforts are the enduring local relationships and human connections that have flourished through the ages. It is here in Kyoto, where past and future coexist and cutting-edge technologies protect age-old traditions, that a harmony is reached between the old and the new, enabling collaborations that transcend both time and discipline. The exhibition structure of ACK encapsulates the very same spirit deeply rooted in the city of Kyoto.

ACK aims to act as a catalyst for envisioning the future, inviting us to consider from multiple perspectives how we will live over the next twenty-five years and the kind of society we aspire to create. It is our hope that ACK will become a point of convergence for interdisciplinary collaborations of various kinds, a starting point for the future to come, and a place where new cultural forms emerge.


Yamashita Yukako
Fair Director, ACK