"KIKUJI KAWADA: The Map / Visions of the Invisible" Exhibited as part of the "Arles Associé" sequence of the Rencontres d'Arles

About the Artist: KIKUJI KAWADA

Born in Ibaraki, Japan in 1933, Kikuji Kawada is a pioneer of post-war Japanese photography. In 1955, he joined Shinchosha and later became a freelance photographer, co-founding the influential VIVO collective in 1959 alongside Akira Sato, Akira Tanno, Shomei Tomatsu, Ikko Narahara, and Eikoh Hosoe. His 1965 photobook The Map is considered a landmark in photographic history, loaded with post-war political metaphor and experimental storytelling.

Kawada describes his work as "an expression of a specific scene in time and my relationship to it, framed accordingly, and the style born from the exchange." Today, he continues to create thought-provoking imagery and shares his photographic musings through digital platforms.

Exhibition Details

KIKUJI KAWADA: The Map / Visions of the Invisible at VAGUE (Arles)
Curated by Sayaka Takahashi (PGI)
Co-produced by: SIGMA × KYOTOGRAPHIE
Exhibition Dates: July 7 - September 5, 2025　*The festival runs until Friday, October 3.
*This exhibition is part of the "Arles Associé" sequence of the Rencontres d'Arles

Co-produced by:
KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival
www.kyotographie.jp/en/

Venue: VAGUE, Arles
tystudio.fr/vague/about/

Curation: PGI
https://www.pgi.ac/en/about-us/

About Les Rencontres de la photographie, Arles 2025

Founded in 1970 by photographer Lucien Clergue, Les Rencontres de la photographie d'Arles (Les Rencontres d'Arles) is the world's oldest and largest photography festival, celebrating its 56th edition this year. Known for inspiring KYOTOGRAPHIE, the festival features complex exhibitions using historical landmarks from the Roman era. It attracts photographers, curators, journalists, and fans from around the globe, serving as a major hub for discovering talents and fostering cross-disciplinary exchanges.

About KYOTOGRAPHIE International Photography Festival

KYOTOGRAPHIE is an international photography festival based in Kyoto--a city that garners global attention as a centre of culture and the arts in Japan. Each spring the festival unfolds as an immersive celebration of photography. More than just an exhibition, KYOTOGRAPHIE offers unique experiences where traditional and contemporary expressions intersect. As a platform for encountering diverse worldviews, it fosters new forms of dialogue, and invites audiences to discover new perspectives on the city.

Unconstrained by conventional boundaries, KYOTOGRAPHIE is known for an innovative approach to scenography and thoughtful installations. The experiences crafted by the festival reshape conventional formats, connecting audiences with new ways of perceiving both the work and the spaces around them. It is a multifaceted experience that could have only emerged in Kyoto.

KYOTOGRAPHIE is about bringing people together, creating moments where difference is celebrated, and genres are encouraged to converge. As a space for the unexpected to emerge, the festival embraces possibilities : building, dismantling, reimagining, and reconnecting--always evolving.

At the heart of KYOTOGRAPHIE lies the Main Programme. Each year, the festival's co-directors, Lucille Reyboz and Yusuke Nakanishi, establish a distinctive theme, around which the programme is curated and artists are invited. Various venues across Kyoto city are transformed into special exhibition spaces through close collaboration between the KYOTOGRAPHIE team, participating artists, venue partners, and scenographers.

About SIGMA

MADE IN AIZU, JAPAN

SIGMA is a Japanese manufacturer of photographic lenses and cameras.
Since SIGMA's founding in 1961, we have continued to innovate and push the standards of optical engineering out of a deep respect for the creative ways photographers and filmmakers engage with the world. The exceptional quality of "Made in Aizu, Japan" is made possible by SIGMA's sole production base, the Aizu factory, and our supply chain concentrated in the Tohoku region. This quality embodies the true essence of SIGMA--an integration of local wisdom, craftsmanship, and technology.

"The Art of engineering. Engineering for Art."

As a camera and lens manufacturer, we have always been deeply motivated by the art of photography. We are inspired by the passion of photographers and filmmakers everywhere and hope that our relentless pursuit of quality and innovation will help artists realize their visions. Supporting the photographic and visual arts is a core tenet of our corporate mission. In addition to our ongoing sponsorships and partnerships with numerous festivals and cultural events, as well as maintaining, growing, and exhibiting our library of photobooks, we will continue to expand and deepen our support of the arts through new endeavors like this exhibition.

For more information

Les Rencontres de la photographie, Arles official website:
www.rencontres-arles.com/en

KYOTOGRAPHIE official website:
www.kyotographie.jp/

Sigma official site:
www.sigma-global.com

For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact:
pr@sigma-photo.co.jp