Set in Japan’s cultural capital, Art Collaboration Kyoto (ACK) pairs Kyoto’s craft-rich heritage with a sharp look ahead. It will take place from November 14-16, 2025 at the Kyoto International Conference Center. With cross-gallery presentations, a curated exhibition, and citywide programs, the 2025 edition offers more than aisles—it offers context.
LARRY’S LIST has highlighted seven reasons why art collectors should watch out for ACK.
A collaboration-first fair model (that actually changes what you see)
ACK is not a hall of isolated booths. Gallery Collaborations pairs Japan-based galleries with international peers, while Kyoto Meetings spotlights projects rooted in the city’s cultural ecosystem. Plus, spatial designer Takashi Suo treats the entire venue like a curated exhibition.
A smart, future-facing curatorial spine
The 2025 theme, “2050 — Gaze Toward the Future”, anchors programs around diversity, resilience and long-term thinking. The curated exhibition “Symbiosis: Art and Common Grounds” by Martin Germann and Kokoro Kimura pulls together artists probing shared spaces—social, ecological, technological—inviting slower looking and deeper conversations with gallerists.
Talks with real signal, not noise
ACK Talks brings cross-disciplinary heavyweights from contemporary art, architecture, design and tech, including Olafur Eliasson and teamLab’s Toshiyuki Inoko, together with museum curators and cultural leaders. Ready to take home some insights to inspire and enrich your art collecting.
Citywide discovery: temples, machiya, and beyond
ACK turns Kyoto into an extended viewing room: presentations in temples, machiya (traditional townhouses), and contemporary spaces. The context matters as works sit in dialogue with Kyoto’s material culture, offering collectors a chance to test resonance beyond the fair floor and discover artists before they hit the wider circuit.
Partner programs that widen the lens
Eight special activations range from pure-gold craft collaborations to a fresh read on the postwar Kyushu-ha (Kyushu School), plus Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage pairings and a Champagne Pommery prize presentation. Expect material intelligence, cross-genre conversations—and a few photogenic moments that still hold curatorial weight.
Bridges for long-run value
The new Bangkok Collaborate Kyoto Fellowship with Bangkok Kunsthalle offers funding, a month-long residency and an exhibition. On site, ACK Kids’ Programs with guided tours, artist/craft workshops, bilingual childcare cultivate future audiences; which is evidence that the fair is building durable ecosystems, not just weekends.
“Nakatsukuni: Middle Lands,” Duo Pop-Up Exhibition by Takuya Kumagai and Liu Bin
The exhibition “Nakatsukuni: Middle Lands” (November 12–18, 2025) at Konkai Komyo-ji Temple, Kyoto, brings together Takuya Kumagai and Liu Bin to explore the mythic realm between the divine and the mortal. Set within the temple’s sacred setting, their works intertwine human emotion and nature’s transience to reflect on life, death, and transformation.
Related: Art Collaboration Kyoto
Instagram: @artcollaborationkyoto
