【OFF at Les Rencontres d'Arles】Participating in KG+ in Arles

This summer, I participated in a KG+ group exhibition held as part of the OFF program (an independent satellite program) of the Les Rencontres d'Arles photography festival in France, and spent two weeks in Arles in the south of France.

Exhibitions, portfolio reviews, workshops, and vernissages every day. It was a very fruitful stay.

Arles is a 'city of photography' in the south of France.
In the summer, a vast number of exhibitions, including the main program and the OFF program, are held throughout the city.

KYOTOGRAPHIE also exhibits there, and it is a unique city in the world that many photography professionals from Japan visit. This was my second time in Arles, and my first time exhibiting.

KG+ is a satellite event of the KYOTOGRAPHIE Kyoto International Photography Festival. As of 2026, over 200 exhibitions are held simultaneously throughout Kyoto in the spring, managed by a highly capable team.
This time, that KG+ has come to Arles.

I participated in this group exhibition as one of five artists, along with Aya Kishimoto, Shuhei Nakanishi, Takashi Hokoi, and Satoru Watanabe.

The Arles photography festival is basically concentrated in the opening week.
Various vernissages, portfolio reviews, workshops, talks, and parties.

This is the one week when photography professionals from all over the world gather, and the density of the city increases dramatically. This is also the period when you can meet the people you want to see.

I will leave behind a record of this, as well as some practical notes for those aiming to go to Arles in the future.

Exhibition Section

What I exhibited

I exhibited the 'COSMO PLASTICS' series.
It is a series of works that captures the transformation of plastic, where natural forces alter what humans have created, blurring the boundary between natural and artificial objects.
Since it was a group exhibition, I selected works that were simple and had iconic visuals.

In addition, I also set up a small installation. It is a device that allows people to look at actual petrified plastic through a film lens borrowed from the Tojo Kaikan Photography Research Institute.

Alongside the photographic works, it is a corner where you can have a small camera-like experience.

Packing

My assigned wall was about 8 meters long. Since I couldn't preview the gallery, I didn't know the condition of the wall, so I decided to arrange A2-sized works, which is the maximum size I could carry in a suitcase, side by side.

Even so, it was a large suitcase with a total of 9 aluminum mounts.
Exhibiting overseas starts with working backward from 'what can I carry and how'.

Installation

The KG＋ management team handled the drilling of holes in the walls and the lighting, which I had been worried about. I am truly grateful!

That said, I realized how difficult it is to work with French stone walls, as they peel easily.

I can't do things as elaborately as I would in my own country, but since it's a group exhibition, I think it's best not to overexert myself and just enjoy it.
In any case, you have to be careful when handling walls overseas.

Visitors

The venue was Galerie Shadows in the center of Arles.

Fortunately, it was on a good street near the main program venues, and the large poster and the explanation of the photo festival posted at the front caught people's eyes, so we had a steady stream of visitors even while we were still setting up.

Since the whole city was buzzing with the photo festival, many people just wandered in as they passed by, and thanks to that, we had a large number of visitors.

On the other hand, regarding "selling," I thought it wouldn't be an easy place to make sales due to the nature of an art festival, where there are practical hurdles such as taking the artwork home.

However.
The large works by my fellow group exhibition members sold quite well. It's amazing, isn't it?

Dismantling

When we were setting up, we had plenty of people and had a fun time creating the exhibition while chatting away.
However, only a limited number of members could stay in Europe for two weeks, so dismantling turned into a task that had to be handled by a small group of people.
We even had a local working holiday participant help us, but it still turned into an intense dismantling process that lasted until late at night.

Even though it was a sweltering night that made your head feel like it was boiling, there was a mountain of work to do.
In the midst of that, the KG＋ management team worked until morning and took responsibility for handing over the keys to the owner, and I couldn't stop thanking them!
In any case, exhibitions are a test of physical strength until the very end.

Lessons Learned

Portfolio Review

I brought several photo series and a dummy book, and I received frank feedback and very specific advice on what I should do in the future.
I received a variety of feedback, especially regarding the dummy book.
I hope to turn this into a project that I can eventually publish, so this was extremely helpful.

They told me that the work itself was interesting, but I also received various specific pieces of advice on what to do with it.
But after that, based on that,

"whether or not you are a person who can take action"is what I think makes the difference.And I felt that this is true regardless of whether you are in Japan or France.

What made me happy was that there were reviewers who had already seen my work at the gallery, and others who came to the vernissage after the review.

It is truly grateful that they show interest in a photography festival in a place as far away as Japan.

Workshops

I attended three lecture-style workshops over three days. They ranged from practical topics like how to prepare documents for photography competitions to talks about the creative backgrounds of the artists.

Since they were 90 minutes long and in English, it was a bit tiring, but honestly, it was easier than walking around to see exhibitions or attending to people at the gallery in heat that felt like being on a frying pan... The active discussions among members gathered from all over the world were interesting, and I felt that I want to continue participating in learning environments no matter how old I get.

Vernissage (Opening Party)

The days were filled with one vernissage after another. We also hosted a party for KG+, and although we didn't know how many people would come, a large number of people showed up in this heat!

Among them were a French person who had covered KYOTOGRAPHIE as press, and a reunion with someone who had come to my KG+ exhibition three years ago and whom I had gone out to dinner with afterward.

The world is vast, but the industry is small!

Since I can't go to party-type events unless I'm invited, I hope to be invited again.

The Ancient Theatre and Exhibition Hopping

At night, openings, slideshows, and talks are held at the Ancient Theatre over several days. I've been watching them since last year, and the quality of the work is breathtaking. Honestly, there are many parts in French, so it can be difficult if you try to understand everything completely.

And then, exhibition hopping. There are a huge number of venues, and it's hot! The pink signs scattered around the city keep urging you on.

Driven by a sense of duty, I toured almost all the venues as if it were a form of ascetic training.

It was especially hot this year, with temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius...

Practical Guide: For those planning to go to Arles

Accommodation

I booked a place about a 20-minute walk from the venue.
Accommodation prices skyrocket during opening week. This was my biggest expense!

Cooking for yourself is almost essential in France, so you need a place with a kitchen.
It's not very cost-effective if you go alone. I recommend sharing accommodation with others.

Good places fill up quickly, so if you've decided to go to Arles, book as soon as possible. It's safe and the days are long, but be careful on pitch-black roads.

Flights and Travel

I used JAL miles, so it was cheap.
On the way there, I mixed up Narita and Haneda airports and had to rush by taxi.
The taxi fare was about 35,000 yen, but I made it onto the JAL flight safely!
Everyone, please double-check your airport...

By the way, arriving at the airport isn't the end.
Paris -> Avignon (TGV) -> Arles
Even after arriving in France, you still have to travel quite a distance with heavy luggage.

Physical Strength and Mutual Support

To be realistic, it costs both money and effort.
And since it was a heatwave this year, it was a test of physical endurance.

Another indispensable element was the mutual support among the members. Fortunately, everyone was wonderful, and we were able to lead the exhibition to success. I cannot thank the KG+ management team enough.
I want to continue to cherish these human connections in the future.

Also, I felt that having a flexible work style played a role in being able to continue this activity.
Even if it's not strictly necessary to be there for two weeks, it's better to be on-site as much as possible.

Conclusion

Overall, spending time in the south of France in the summer with the management team and the artists made for a very memorable trip to Europe.

To be honest, I had never thought about selling my photographs before. However, seeing the work of my peers, who were out there pitching their art, actually selling, I was genuinely impressed.

My trial and error will likely continue from here on out.
What is it that I really want to do?

One thing is certain: I want to make sure that I never let down the people who gave me these opportunities or the people who have acquired my work, even more so than I have until now.

I think I will be keeping that in mind moving forward.
I don't know how many years or decades that might take, but I hope you'll be patient with me.

On this trip, I also extended my travels to the Venice Biennale and then to Spain.
It was another fulfilling European journey, but that is a story for another time...

I hope I can come back to Arles again.
I will continue to work hard.

Sari Shibata