The Kyotographie festival and Sigma are presenting an exhibition of works by Japanese photographer Kikuji Kawada at Vague-Arles, running until October 5, 2025. The exhibition, titled "The Map/Visions of the Invisible," is supervised by Sayaka Takahashi, director of PGI Gallery in Tokyo, and is part of the associated program of the 2025 Rencontres d'Arles photography festival. This presentation builds on Kawada's exhibition at Kyotographie in 2024, bringing the acclaimed but underrecognized Japanese photographer's work to European audiences.
In an interview with journalist Jean-Jacques Ader, Kyotographie co-founders Lucille Reyboz and Yusuke Nakanishi discussed how the Arles photography festival served as inspiration for their own creation. "Yes, of course," they explained. "Yusuke and I had just met, and I suggested we go see the exhibitions in Arles. He was amazed at how much this city transformed and became a place dedicated to photography." The co-founders noted that Japanese society is very compartmentalized, with photography being a small niche and few people willing to step into an exhibition space.
This observation led to one of Kyotographie's distinctive features: presenting photography in unconventional spaces. "That's one of the reasons we chose to present our exhibitions in craftsmen's houses, temples, and other places where the general public isn't used to seeing art," Reyboz and Nakanishi said. "This has allowed us to bring together a large number of visitors – 300,000 for the latest editions." The strategy of using traditional architectural spaces has proven successful in making photography more accessible to broader audiences.
Regarding their decision to showcase Kikuji Kawada in Arles, the co-founders emphasized their commitment to promoting Japanese photography internationally. "First of all, with the international Kyotographie festival, we also wanted to create a space for transmitting the Japanese photographic scene," they explained. "We exhibited Kawada two years ago in Kyoto, and quite a few Japanese people discovered him as well." They saw the opportunity to be part of the Rencontres d'Arles associated program as the perfect moment to present his work, noting that Kawada himself was deeply involved in the project despite no longer traveling due to his age.
The presentation quality at Vague-Arles maintains the same high standards as their Kyoto exhibitions, though with different challenges. "Here, the buildings are solid, made of stone, brick, or concrete," the co-founders noted. "In Japan, old constructions are very fragile." They explained their approach of creating spaces within existing spaces, using natural materials like wood or paper that are as symbolic as possible and connected to the artworks. This scenographic strategy serves as a cultural bridge, helping regular visitors discover the photographic medium and access the presented artists.
The festival's annual themes emerge organically from contemporary concerns. "The theme often imposes itself on us, naturally I would say, depending on the spirit of the times," Reyboz and Nakanishi explained. "We try to come together around values that seem important to us, to get through these rather troubled and depressing periods together." After presenting a group of Japanese female photographers in 2024, their continued participation in the Rencontres d'Arles associated program represents an important cultural exchange.
The co-founders value their official inclusion in the programming and see potential for expanding the partnership. "Yes, it's precious to be in the official programming, and it's important to maintain this synergy between us, or even develop it in the future, by presenting projects from the Rencontres d'Arles in Kyoto, for example," they said. This reciprocal relationship could strengthen cultural ties between the Japanese and French photography scenes.
Recently, Kyotographie has expanded beyond photography with the addition of Kyotophonie, a music component that began three years ago. "We are great music lovers ourselves, and at the tenth anniversary of the festival, it kind of imposed itself on us," the co-founders shared. "Music already punctuated certain moments or events of Kyotographie." The musical programming runs parallel to the festival and serves as an echo to the photography, creating a more comprehensive cultural experience.
The current Arles exhibition features several of Kawada's series including "The Map," "Endless Map," "The Last Cosmology," "Los Caprichos," and "Vortex." Accompanying the exhibition is the publication of an anniversary book titled "A Kyoto Story," which compiles the twelve editions of the festival in a bilingual English-Japanese format published by Seigensha. The exhibition represents not only a showcase of Kawada's important but underappreciated work but also a testament to the growing international dialogue in contemporary photography between Japan and Europe.
