Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art

Note: Kyotographie international photography festival is held across multiple venues in Kyoto. Now in its 14th edition, the annual Kyotographie has consistently highlighted pressing issues through photography while showcasing revolutionary ideas that push this versatile medium in unexpected directions. For 2026, the international photography festival’s theme ‘Edge’ feels especially poignant, not just in describing photography but also the state of the world today. Here, ‘edge’ can refer to the border between opposing forces, a state of tension, or a tipping point of transition. Conceptually, the theme draws on photography’s precarious position on the fringes, often straddling the line between art and documentary, and, with the rise of new technologies such as generative AI, between truth and fiction. This sense of division, whether it is uncertainty or possibility, is reflected in the works of 13 photographers from eight countries. Here, the featured works address a wide range of subjects including marginalised communities and overlooked places as seen through the lens of colonisation and territorial disputes, the fraught relationship between humans and nature, and conditions of urban decline. Alongside these, you’ll also find exhibitions that focus on experimental approaches to photography, highlighting new ideas and techniques in image-making. Key exhibitions include: a retrospective on radical Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama, a tribute to the late Palestinian...

Beneath the fantastical surfaces of Studio Ghibli’s beloved anime films one finds emotional nuance, moral ambiguity and contemplative pacing – features that resonate strikingly with the philosophical principles of Zen. In autumn 2026, the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art hosts ‘Zen and Studio Ghibli’, an immersive show that explores this unexpected yet deeply rooted connection. Drawing inspiration from a dialogue between producer Toshio Suzuki and a Zen monk, the exhibition invites visitors to experience Ghibli’s universe through a ‘Zen gaze’. Centred on Hayao Miyazaki’s most recent film, The Boy and the Heron, the exhibition unfolds through carefully constructed spaces featuring iconic scenes, memorable lines and Suzuki’s calligraphic works. Rather than offering definitive readings, it encourages visitors to dwell in uncertainty, reflecting Zen’s emphasis on presence and perception. Set in Kyoto, where Zen culture remains woven into daily life, the exhibition is set to offer a contemplative encounter that bridges pop culture and philosophy.