Press

Updated on October 31, 2024

(Kyoto, Japan, June 18, 2024) – Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK) announces the exhibitor list for its fourth edition, which will welcome 69 galleries from 18 countries/regions and 24 cities, including 33 exhibitors presenting at the fair for the first time. Art Collaboration Kyoto will take place in the Kyoto International Conference Center (ICC Kyoto) from November 1 to 3, 2024, with a preview day on October 31, 2024.
　

Yukako Yamashita, Program Director of Art Collaboration Kyoto, said: “The 2024 edition of ACK will be the most exciting edition yet, presenting top Japanese and international galleries inside the ICC Kyoto and exhibitions across breathtaking historic sites and unique venues only found in Kyoto. With each edition of ACK, we are proud to showcase our enduring commitment to quality in our selection of gallery exhibitors and partner programs, as well as to put culture forward in all that we do.”
　

Founded in 2021, Art Collaboration Kyoto presents a new model of art fair that is rooted in the spirit of collaboration, as well as Kyoto’s welcoming ethos and rich history of art and culture. Its “Gallery Collaborations” section pairs a Japan-based gallery with its international peer in a shared booth to co-present a unique and thoughtful exhibition, while “Kyoto Meetings” features presentations with distinct connections to Kyoto. In 2022 and 2023, Art Collaboration Kyoto obtained bonded status, allowing international exhibitors to be exempt from the 10% sales tax that otherwise would have been imposed pre-sale. The fair has re-applied for bonded status for its 2024 edition in November.
　

“Gallery Collaborations” this year will welcome 29 international galleries from North and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific hosted by 27 Japan-based galleries in shared booths. Several galleries will present thematic exhibitions, such as Mitochu Koeki Co. (Tokyo) and Annely Juda Fine Art (London), who will explore conceptual connections between artist and theorist Kazimir Malevich and ceramicist Raku Jikinyū XV. Taro Nasu (Tokyo) and Matthew Marks (New York and Los Angeles) will feature artists including Simone Leigh, Robert Gober, Sturtevant, Ryan Gander, and Pierre Huyghe. Shibunkaku (Kyoto) and first-time ACK exhibitor Kurimanzutto (Mexico City and New York) will present modern and traditional Japanese artworks alongside works by contemporary artists including Gabriel Orozco, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Damián Ortega, Haegue Yang, and Minerva Cuevas. Many will place international artists in dialogue with one another, such as SCAI The Bathhouse (Tokyo) and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery (New York and Los Angeles) who will present works by He Xiangyu and Analia Saban; and Blum (Los Angeles, Tokyo, New York) and Foksal Gallery Foundation (Warsaw) featuring works by artists including Paweł Althamer, Karol Palczak, Akane Saijo, Wilhelm Sasnal, and Agata Słowak.
　

“Kyoto Meetings” will feature 13 local and international gallery booths whose presentations have connections to the historic city of Kyoto, offering an opportunity to explore its culture from varied perspectives. Highlights will include neugerriemschneider (Berlin), presenting paintings by Andreas Eriksson that enter into dialogue with the world around him and complement his concurrent exhibition at the historical villa of Murin-an. Perrotin (Paris, New York, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Los Angeles) will present works exploring mythologies and metamorphosis by Johan Creten and Izumi Kato. In parallel, Kato’s works will also be on view in dialogue with works by Bosco Sodi (represented by SCAI The Bathhouse) at the Ryosoku-in Temple. Oscaar Mouligne (Kyoto), founded in 2023, will present works by Tokyo-based Norwegian artist Gardar Eide Einarsson at the fair, timed with the artist’s solo exhibition at the gallery; and another first-time ACK exhibitor MtK Contemporary Art (Kyoto) will present a solo presentation of work with built-in AI by Kyoto-based Yuichiro Tamura.
　

This year, ACK Curates will feature its Public Program, talks series, and family program under the theme set by Yukako Yamashita “Resilience—for your own happiness”, exploring the vital elements of survival in today’s complex society and the enduring human spirit within Kyoto’s traditional culture, festivals, and craftsmanship, which the city has long preserved and developed. The fair’s Public Program will welcome Arts Collective, a curating platform based in Hong Kong founded by André Chan and Chin-Yin Chong, as its guest curators. In support of the fair’s commitment to bettering the future of the art world through educational programming and expanding the impact of art on its surrounding communities, the fair will host ACK Talks, an international conversation series spanning diverse genres. This year’s Kids’ Programs for families and youth will once again host artist-led workshops. Additionally, free bilingual childcare will be available to all participating gallerists and visitors.
　

Further collaborations will extend beyond the fair venue and into the city of Kyoto, including the ACK Open Call programs which creates opportunities for a more diverse group of artists, curators, and collectors to exhibit. This year’s Open Call programs will feature three exhibitions in the city of Kyoto partially subsidized by ACK, including a solo exhibition by leading Chinese artist He Xiangyu at ARTRO. Additional presentations taking place in Kyoto during ACK will include exhibitions by Lucas Arruda at Daitoku-ji temple and Ettore Spalletti at Taka Ishii Gallery Kyoto. Additional highlights and programming details will be announced in late summer 2024.
　

For the full list of participating galleries, please visit https://a-c-k.jp/en/exhibitors/.
　

Notes to Editors

About Art Collaboration Kyoto
Art Collaboration Kyoto is an art fair held in Kyoto with collaboration at its core. One of the leading art fairs in Japan specializing in contemporary art, Art Collaboration Kyoto presents unique collaborations forged between Japanese and international galleries; government and private sectors; and fine arts and other cultural spheres in Kyoto. Hosted in the Kyoto International Conference Center (ICC Kyoto), the fair consists of two sections: “Gallery Collaborations”, which pairs a Japan-based gallery with its international peer in a shared booth; and “Kyoto Meetings”, which features presentations with distinct connections to Kyoto. In addition, ACK Curates will feature its Public Program, talks series, and family programs. Beyond the fair, special exhibitions are held in Kyoto City through the ACK Open Call Programs, along with other partner exhibitions.
　

Art Collaboration Kyoto is organized by the ACK Executive Committee, which includes the Kyoto Prefecture; Association for the Promotion of Contemporary Art in Japan; Contemporary Art Dealers Association Nippon; Culture Vision Japan Foundation Inc.; Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and the Kyoto Convention and Visitors Bureau. The fair is presented with support from The Cabinet Office, Government of Japan in the fiscal 2024, The Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan in the fiscal 2024, and Japan Tourism Agency, Unique Experience in Japan 2024 in cooperation with JETRO Kyoto, Kyoto City, The Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Japan Association of New Economy, and The Kyoto Shimbun.
　

The fair is located at the Kyoto International Conference Center (Takaragaike, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City) and others. For more information, please visi a-c-k.jp.
　

2024 Dates
Preview (by invitation only): Thursday, October 31, 2024
Public opening dates: Friday, November 1, 2024 – Sunday, November 3, 2024 
　

About Yukako Yamashita, ACK Program Director
Born in Tokyo in 1988 to a family that runs a tea ceremony utensils business in Kyoto. Completed an MA in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London. After an internship at Sotheby’s London, she joined Sotheby’s Japan, where she oversaw the sales of contemporary art. From 2017 to 2022, she was the managing director of THE CLUB. She was appointed Program Director of Art Collaboration Kyoto and Kyoto City Growth Strategy Promotion Advisor in 2022.
　

About Arts Collective, ACK 2024’s Guest Curators of the Public Pprogram
Co-founded by curators André Chan and Chin-Yin Chong in 2018, Arts Collective is a curating platform based in Hong Kong. The collective’s practice resides in the intersection of contemporary art, cultural influences, and interdisciplinary connections. They were selected for the Emerging Curators Project at the Power Station of Art, Shanghai in 2018.
　

Chin-Yin Chong has previously worked at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, and Hong Kong Arts Centre, as well as experiences in galleries and various art projects in the Asian region. Working collectively and independently, Chong’s recent research explores artistic practices, transdisciplinary exchanges and collaborations. Chong was a curator-in-residence for the Delfina Foundation’s summer 2022 season.
　

André Chan’s curatorial work focuses on artists’ engagement with contemporary urban issues. His recent research is on the video games made by artists and exploring the fallacies within the modern tech world. Chan was selected for the Emerging Curators program by Para Site in Hong Kong in 2018, and has been recognized for his curatorial work through exhibitions and performances in various cities and institutions.

Selection Committee 
Axel Dibie, Galerie Crèvecoeur (Paris)
Yoshiaki Inoue, Yoshiaki Inoue Gallery (Osaka)
Tomio Koyama, Tomio Koyama Gallery (Tokyo)
Yuichi Mori, Mori Yu Gallery (Kyoto)
Jeffrey Rosen, Misako & Rosen (Tokyo)
Shelly Wu, TKG+ (Taipei)
Yuko Yamamoto, Anomaly (Tokyo) 

Media Contacts
FITZ & CO | Sarah St. Amand | sstamand@fitzandco.com
Art Collaboration Kyoto | Yoshiko Nawa and Rasa Tsuda | press@a-c-k.jp