Press
Supplementary Materials
September 1, 2026
ACK Kids’ Programs
ACK Kids’ Programs consist of “making” and “seeing” activities.
The “making” program invites children to explore materials and tools alongside artists, using their hands to create something of their own. The “seeing” program encourages children to experience artworks through close observation, touring the venue while exchanging ideas with other participants.
Programs listed as “making” and “seeing” combine both experiences, allocating time for participants to tour the venue while carrying their creations in hand.
*Advance registration required.
*Participation in the workshops is free of charge. Admission fee is not included.
The “Seeing” Guided Tours encourage children to experience artworks through close observation and discussion while touring the venue. Tours are supervised by the Art Communication Research Center (ACC), Kyoto University of the Arts.
The “Making” Workshops invite participants to explore materials and tools alongside artists and artisans. All workshops will be held at ICC Kyoto New Hall, Kids’ Programs Hub.
- November 7, 2pm−4pm
“Making & Seeing”: Let’s Make Flags Never Seen Before
We will create flags unlike any others in the world. The instructor is artist Kawano Ai, who explores themes of memory and time through works rooted in dyeing and weaving. As you sew pieces of cloth together and draw lines with a sewing machine, your flag will gradually take on a shape uniquely your own. Once your flag is complete, hold it up and head to the venue. From this point on, you are the guide. Explore the booths, stop at works that catch your eye, and introduce them to everyone. The place where you and your flag stand may become a signpost for someone else. Experience the joy of making and the pleasure of discovery. As you walk through the venue with your flag held high, new paths will begin to emerge.
Lecturer: Kawano Ai (Artist)
Ages: 7–13, Capacity: 15 people
- November 8, 1:30pm−3pm / 3:30pm−4:30pm
“Making”: Let’s Carve Wood and Explore Forms
A workshop offering participants the opportunity to experience the craftsmanship of artisan Nakagawa Shuji from Nakagawa Woodworking, a maker of wooden buckets with a tradition spanning three generations. In the first session, you will learn about wood and watch a demonstration of splitting a log before trying it yourself. Following a break, the second session invites you to explore your own unique forms by carving with a chisel and craft knife and combining small pieces of wood. As you experience the changing appearance, scent, and texture of wood through the process of carving, you will gain inspiration for “making” from the skills and philosophy of an artisan who engages deeply with natural wood and continues to explore new possibilities.
Lecturer: Nakagawa Shuji (Japanese Oke Artisan)
Ages: 7–13, Capacity: 10 people
- November 9, 2:30pm−4pm
“Making & Seeing”: Let’s Make a Talking Puppet & Explore the Art Fair
Join filmmaker and occasional ventriloquist Yu Araki (Double Tongue) and singer and ventriloquist Harue Yamada (CHEKAS) to make sock puppets from socks and other everyday materials. Once you have given your puppet eyes, a mouth, and a name, it will become your sidekick. Together with the other participants, we will parade our new companions through the venue. Standing before the artworks on display at the booths, we will speak through our puppets to share impressions and ask questions of the artists and gallery owners. Even thoughts you might feel embarrassed to utter yourself may be easier to express with your puppet by your side. While discovering the joy of making and the fascination of looking, let’s see how speaking—and letting our puppets speak—about the artworks changes the way we experience them.
Lecturers: Yu Araki (Double Tongue) (Artist / Filmmaker) and Harue Yamada (CHEKAS) (Singer / Ventriloquist)
Ages: For all ages. Children under 7 years of age may attend if accompanied by a parent.
Capacity: 10 people
For applications and program details, please visit https://a-c-k.jp/en/for-kids/
Bilingual Childcare Service
Bilingual childcare services will be available for visitors with children aged 3 months to 7 years old.
In collaboration with Rakuwakai Otowa Hospital, we provide a space where children and their parents can participate safely and comfortably.
Dates and Hours:
Thursday, November 5: 3pm–9pm (available only to Exhibitors)
Friday, November 6: noon–7pm (available only to press and invitees)
Saturday, November 7: 11am–7pm
Sunday, November 8: 11am–7pm
Monday, November 9: 11am–5pm
Advance registration required: No applications will be accepted on the day of the exhibition.
Venue: ICC Kyoto New Hall, anteroom
Free of charge, Capacity: Up to 10 people
For details of the childcare service, please visit https://a-c-k.jp/en/for-kids/#nursery.
ACK Talks
(Confirmed programs as of September 1, 2026):
ACK will host ACK Talks, a diverse series of conversations featuring artists and industry leaders. This year’s series will examine the potential of art as a medium for communication at a time when social conditions and advances in AI and other technologies are prompting renewed questions about human connection. The program will consider themes including the articulation and sharing of values, the transmission of ideas and aesthetics, and the relationship between the individual and history.
*Simultaneous interpretation will be available.
*Admission to the program is free of charge. Admission to the venue is not included.
*First come, first served.
November 7
| 1pm−2pm | A City That Cultivates Culture — Culture, Architecture, and the Public: Perspectives from Kyoto Nishiwaki Takatoshi (Governor, Kyoto Prefecture), Sejima Kazuyo (Architect) and others |
| 2:30pm−4pm | Focusing on the Age of Sensibility Suzuki Satoshi (Chairman and Representative Director, POLA Orbis Holdings Inc. / Chairman, Pola Art Foundation), Yamashita Yukako (Art Producer / CEO, YMKY Inc.) |
| 4:30pm−6pm | Curatorial Roundtable: Communicating the Value of Art Leonhard Bartolomeus (Curator, Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM)), Kim Sunjung (Artistic Director, Art Sonje Center), and others Co-organized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan |
November 8
| 1pm−2:30pm | Heritage and Metamorphosis: The Future of Galleries Koyama Tomio (Director & Founder, Tomio Koyama Gallery), Yamauchi Tokutaro (Managing Director, Gallery Shibunkaku.), Nago Maya (Editor-in-Chief, ARTnews JAPAN), and others |
| 3pm−4:30pm | Artist Talk: Arthur Jafa Arthur Jafa (Artist / Filmmaker), and others |
| 5pm−6:30pm | BCK Fellowship 2025→2026: Award Ceremony & Project Presentation Marisa Chearavanont (Founder & President, Bangkok Kunsthalle), Stefano Rabolli Pansera (Director, Bangkok Kunsthalle), Tamayama Takuro (Artist), Yamashita Yukako (Art Producer / CEO, YMKY Inc.) |
November 9
| 1pm−2pm | Kyoto Dialogue Kawamura Genki (Filmmaker / Author), and others |
| 3pm−4pm | Closing Talk: Who is building the future? Maya Man (Artist), David Teh (Independent curator / Associate Professor, National University of Singapore) |
For program details, please visit https://a-c-k.jp/en/talks/.
Special Programs
A series of programs held with the cooperation of our partners in the ICC Kyoto.
What Gold Becomes
Artist: Miyanaga Aiko
Supervisor: Kaneshima Takahiro
Special Partner: SGC Co., Ltd.
Mukai Eriko supported by Daimaru Matsuzakaya Ladder Project
Artist: Mukai Eriko
Project Management: Miki Akane and Kinjo Chiharu
Cooperation: Ladder Project 2026 Nomination Committee
(Sumi Naoko, Tsutsumi Takuya, and Yabumae Tomoko)
Special Partner: Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores Co.,Ltd.
NEW STREAM supported by JINTEC Corporation
Project Management: Twelve Inc.
Special Partner: JINTEC Corporation
Okazaki Ryunosuke THE BODY RETURNS TO supported by Kyoto Takashimaya S.C.
Artist: Okazaki Ryunosuke
Planning: CCC ARTLAB
Cooperation: AKIINOUE
Special Partner: Takashimaya Company, Limited
Jewelry: Stories upon the body
Artists: Aoyama Satoru, Asai Miki, David Bielander, Lin Cheung, Simon Fujiwara, Junwon Jung, Kaguraoka Kumi, Kojima Takashi, Kobayashi Mari, Minewaki Mikiko, Mishima Itto, Mitamura Midori, Nakaba Shinji, Sasaki Fumie, Sato Hiroaki, Shimoonoda Kako, Taguchi Fumiki, Yamada Mizuko, and others
Exhibition Planning: Nishizawa Hiroko
Under the auspices of: Japan Jewellery Designers Association
Special Cooperation: Kondo Hitomi (C.A.J.) and Minewaki Mikiko (HOLE IN THE WALL)
Special Partner: KUWAYAMA CORPORATION
Pommery Prize Kyoto 2026
Jury: Aoki Akira (Independent Curator), Uo Kana (Curator, Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art)
Moroi Ken (CEO, Vranken Pommery Japan)
Venue: VIP Lounge (ICC Kyoto Event Hall 2F)
Organizer: Pommery Prize Kyoto
Program Advisor & Project Manager: Yazu Yoshitaka (Contemporary Artist, Owner of kumagusuku)
Official Champagne Partner: Champagne Pommery
Special Thanks: Air France
Special Programs will take place in the New Hall of ICC Kyoto unless otherwise specified.
For additional information on ACK’s Special Programs, please visit https://a-c-k.jp/en/special-programs/.
What’s On
During the week of Art Collaboration Kyoto, a variety of art programs will be held across Kyoto, activating the historical city during this exciting cultural moment. In addition to those taking place at the main venue at ICC Kyoto, ACK introduces a selection of exhibitions throughout the city, including special presentations by participating galleries at historic temples and unique venues. Highlights include:
Mountain, Walking on the Water
Artist: Kashihara Yuka
Dates: October 29–November 11
Venue: Komyo-in
Supported by Tomio Koyama Gallery
Exhibition title TBC
Artists: Issy Wood and Evelyn Taocheng Wang
Dates: November 5–10
Venue: Korin-in, Daitoku-ji
Organized by Carlos/Ishikawa
Bird, beasts and flowers
Artist: Andrew Cranston
Dates: November 6–22
Venue: Ryosoku-in
Organized by Modern Art, INGLEBY
Notice Everything
Artist: Adam Pendleton
Dates: November 5–December 19
Venue: Taka Ishii Gallery Kyoto
Schwarz-Weiß
Dates: November 6–28
Artists: Kito Kengo, Koganezawa Kento, Nawa Kohei, and Murase Kyoko
Venue: imura art gallery
House on Canal
Artist: Christopher Culver
Dates: November 7–December 11
Venue: Nonaka-Hill Kyoto
Exhibition title TBC
Artist: Lorna Simpson
Dates: November 7 – March 6, 2027
Venue: OSCAAR MOULIGNE
Co-organized by OSCAAR MOULIGNE and Hauser & Wirth
MANGA ART × KYOTO
Dates: November 7–9
Artists: Hirohiko Araki, Riyoko Ikeda, Jakuchu Ito, Kyoko Okazaki, Eiichiro Oda, Oh!great,
Kishi Omori, Tite Kubo, Shin-ichi Sakamoto, Keiichi Tanaami, and Go Nagai
Venue: Hachiku-an (Former Kawasaki Residence)
Organized by Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage
*Admission requires advance ticket purchase.
This year, ACK will once again collaborate with the broader initiatives of Kyoto Art Month, organized by Kyoto Prefecture and the City of Kyoto, promoting a wide range of art events throughout Kyoto.
Highlights include:
September 11–November 9: Art Rhizome Kyoto, Kyoto Wander 3: A Transient Journey to the Everlasting
October 24–November 23: Lightseeing Kyoto South 2026
October 24–November 23: Machikado Museum －Art in Everyday Streets－
November 6–November 8: CURATION⇄FAIR Kyoto
October 31–November 8: KYOTO Modern Architecture Festival
Spatial Design by Takashi Suo (Architect / SUO, Inc.)
For the 6th edition of ACK, the fair has sought to create an even greater sense of unity throughout the venue than ever before. In the Event Hall, the Gallery Collaborations feature booths that emerge as natural extensions of the aisles, with artworks extending into the walkways as though the booths had expanded outward. The experience inside and outside the booths merges seamlessly, allowing visitors to move through individual spaces while experiencing them as part of a single, expansive art exhibition. The Kyoto Meetings, café, and ACK Talks similarly occupy distinct spaces, while allowing visitors to feel closely connected to what is happening throughout the venue. The result is an experience in which the whole can be appreciated while each individual space is discovered along the way.
ACK has continued to create opportunities to encounter artworks that can only be experienced in Kyoto, and has grown into a destination that attracts many people from around the world each year. This is not about repeating past successes. Rather, constant change is the very essence of ACK’s identity. ACK is shaped by everyone involved, including its visitors, who together create this unique, once-a-year event.
Tickets
Tickets are available online from Tuesday, September 1. Tickets that include a one-day pass for Kyoto City Subway, a one-day pass for Kyoto City Subway & buses, and an ACK original tote bag will also be available. All prices include tax.
- ACK Ticket (Only available online at https://art-ap.passes.jp/user/e/ack2026/)
Adults:
Early Bird Ticket (until October 6) ¥2,000
Advance Ticket (until November 6) ¥3,000
General Admission ¥3,500
3-Day Pass (until November 8) ¥6,000
Students (high school and university): ¥1,000
- ACK Ticket with Original Tote Bag (Sales are limited)
Prices:
Early Bird Ticket with Original Tote Bag (until October 6) : ¥4,500
Advance Ticket with Original Tote Bag (until November 6): ¥5,500
A limited number of tickets are available with an original ACK tote bag featuring artwork by artist Tamayama Takuro.
- ACK Ticket plus One-Day Subway Pass / plus One-Day Subway & Bus Pass
Prices:
Including One-Day Subway Pass (¥800): ¥2,700
Including One-Day Subway & Bus Pass (¥1,100): ¥3,000
Sales are Limited to 150 sets. Cash payments only.
Sales location: Kotochika Kyoto Information Center and Shijo Station Commuter Pass Sales Office
For more details, please visit https://a-c-k.jp/en/tickets/.
Media Contacts
Art Collaboration Kyoto | Nawa Yoshiko and Tsuda Rasa | press@a-c-k.jp