YouMe

Kyōto YouMe Triennale

About

Curators

Manifesto

Newsletter

10/8(Thu)

-10/18(Sun)

10/8(Thu)

-10/18(Sun)

Shōsei-en　Garden

Jushinkaikan

Shōsei-en　Garden

Jushinkaikan

Every act of making is an act of meaning.

The Kyoto YouMe Triennale positions art, design, and craft—“making”—as a fundamental human activity that generates new value and meaning from the myriad objects that surround us, and serves as a venue for fostering new encounters and creative emergence in the realm of making. Organized through collaboration with international curators and scheduled for October 2026, this exhibition—titled “Edition ‘Manifesto’”—will bring together artists from various countries to exhibit primarily at Shoseien Garden and the Shigenobu Kaikan. It will also feature satellite exhibitions at various locations throughout Kyoto, as well as open labs and community events.

Date:

October 8 - 18, 2026

Venues:

Shōsei-en Garden
Higashi-tamamizu-chō, Aino-machi Higashi-iru, Shimo-juzuya-machi-dōri, Shimogyō-ku,Kyoto, Kyoto 600-8190, Japan

Jushinkaikan
36 Nijuninkocho, Shimogyo Ward, Kyoto, 600-8153, Japan

Open call:

Kyoto YouMe Open is accepting open-call submissions from artists, craftspeople, designers, studios, and companies active in the fields of art, crafts, and design. Centered on exhibiting and networking at this international exhibition—which reexamines the essence and future of “making”—we will support participants’ future overseas expansion, exhibitions, and business development. We are seeking individuals with a passion for “making” and a unique perspective, regardless of nationality, scale, or genre.

Application Period: June 30–July 20

Newsletter

International Curators

An international team of curators from the United Kingdom, Italy, India, Qatar, and Japan has come together to gather art, crafts, and design from their respective countries and design a space for exhibition and dialogue. Through the intersection of diverse cultural backgrounds and perspectives, we will reexamine the meaning of “making” from multiple angles and work together to take the first step toward new forms of co-creation.

Andrea Petochi

Managing Director at Liberty
Chair of the British Museum Company Ltd.

Allesandro Biamonti

Architect, Professor at Design Department Politecnico di Milano

Esha Gupta

Founder & Editor, Design Pataki / DP Agency
Design Pataki Foundation, Mumbai

Harry Pearce

Partner at Pentagram
Graphic designer, Artist, Photographer

Hiroyuki Anzai

Business + Culture Designer
Director at De-Tales ltd.

Isao Kitabayashi

Leader of Design Kyoto
CEO at COS Kyoto ltd.

Kodama Kanazawa

Independent Curator
Associate Professor, Kyoto University of the Arts (ICA Kyoto)

Shaikha Al-Sulaiti

Senior Concept Manager, Doha Design District
Curator & Designer, Doha, Qatar

MANIFESTO

Something happens in Kyoto every three years...

MANIFESTO

Something happens in Kyoto every three years...

The Kyoto Triennale doesn’t view art, design, and craft in opposition to industry. Instead, it embraces them for what they are, valuing “making” as a fundamental human activity—one that creates new value and meaning from everything around us. We aim to go beyond all dualities like “tradition or innovation” and tackle the core of our most complex challenges. In this age of advancing AI, we must pause and take a deep, collective breath— as if the whole planet is doing so with us. We need to re-examine the very meaning of existence. What lies beyond our chain of joy, fear, anxiety, and heartbreak? We’ll seek answers beyond the easy suggestions of religion, ideology, finance, or advertising.

This is an invitation to a great challenge, one with no right or wrong answers. It’s so profound that it’s often avoided. Sometimes, it’s easier not to ask,like a bird in a cage, swaying between seed and water. Perhaps we just don’t wantto admit we’re in a cage at all. Outside, there may be hundreds of dangerous predators. But we may also be afraid to discover there are delicious new foods, forests to build nests, and places to ride the wind on a long journey. Regardless of what we choose to see or who we are, the sun still rises in the east and sets in the west, and a warm spring always follows a cold winter. This Triennale is an attempt to find the answer in a deep passion for quality.

Here, quality isn’t about perfect products. It’s the silent, unspoken value that lives in our relationships and in the creative process itself. We want to move beyond the cold logic of profit, restore the dignity of “making” that creates meaning, and build a future of rich, sustainable connections between people and with the natural world. This is an invitation to re-examine what it truly means to be human. Our triennial project is more than just an event. It is a shared time for people who share a passion to come together from different countries. It’s a time for art, design, and craft to meet, and for cultures and people to grow through conversation and collaboration. We choose Kyoto because it’s a place where deep history and bold modernity intersect. Here, the act of “making” is imbued with a soul, and its heritage is still breathing. Kyoto is not just a venue; it is a symbol that uses its rich legacy as a foundation for building an international future. We want to welcome all who share this passion to Kyoto and also contribute to the lives of the people who make this all possible...