Ace Hotel Kyoto × BRUTUS "Artist-in-Residence 2026-2027" First Edition: New Exhibition "ECHOES" by Photographer Satoko Imazu to be Held from May 1 (Fri)
Ace Hotel Kyoto, in partnership with culture and lifestyle magazine 'BRUTUS', will host the first edition of its "Artist-in-Residence (AIR) 2026-2027" program, featuring a new exhibition titled "ECHOES" by photographer Satoko Imazu, starting May 1, 2026. The exhibition will showcase works themed around the 'everyday' in Kyoto, created during Imazu's stay, and will be accompanied by a related workshop.
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Ace Hotel Kyoto (Location: Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City; General Manager: Shiho Ikeuchi) is pleased to announce the first edition of its "Artist-in-Residence (AIR) 2026-2027" program, welcoming culture and lifestyle magazine 'BRUTUS' as its new curation partner. The program will feature photographer Satoko Imazu, with her new exhibition "ECHOES" opening on Friday, May 1, 2026, in the lobby gallery on the first floor.
Launched in New York in 2014, the AIR program provides artists with a hotel room as a live-in studio, supporting them with time and space for creation. This exhibition will publicly display works created by Ms. Imazu during her stay at Ace Hotel Kyoto, focusing on the "everyday" landscapes she observed.
Additionally, to coincide with the exhibition's opening, a special workshop titled "SLOW SERIES" will be held on Saturday, May 2, led by Ms. Imazu, exploring the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
■ Artist-in-Residence 2026-2027 First Edition | Satoko Imazu
After studying under photographer Shingo Wakagi, Satoko Imazu became independent in 2004. She primarily works on travel and portrait photography for magazines, catalogs, and advertisements. With "everyday life" as her theme, her works for this Kyoto residency focus on the "Kyoto Imperial Palace," where local people spend their time as they please.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/satoko_imz/
Satoko Imazu
■ Exhibition Overview
Photographic works created by Ms. Imazu during her stay at Ace Hotel Kyoto will be exhibited in the 1st-floor gallery space of Ace Hotel Kyoto.
Furthermore, a reception party commemorating the exhibition's opening will be held in the lobby gallery from 18:30 to 20:00 on Friday, May 1.
Exhibition Title: "ECHOES"
Period: Friday, May 1, 2026 – Friday, July 31, 2026
Venue: Ace Hotel Kyoto 1st Floor Lobby Gallery (245-2 Kurumaya-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, within ShinPuhKan)
Admission: Free
ECHOES
■ Workshop Overview
To coincide with the exhibition's opening, a special workshop titled "SLOW SERIES" will be held on Saturday, May 2, led by Ms. Imazu.
Participants will take a photo tour while strolling through the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the setting for this project. Afterwards, back at the hotel gallery, the captured photos will be projected onto a screen, providing a special dialogue space for participants to share their perspectives and thoughts.
SLOW SERIES | Explore Through a Photo Tour Workshop with Satoko Imazu
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026: 10:30 AM~
Location: Kyoto Imperial Palace・Ace Hotel Kyoto 1st Floor Lobby Gallery
Participation Fee: Free
Reservation: https://jp.acehotel.com/kyoto/going-on/slow-series-explore-through-a-photo-tour-workshop-with-satoko-imazu/
Explore Through a Photo Tour Workshop with Satoko Imazu
■ About Ace Hotel Kyoto Artist-in-Residence Program
The "Artist-in-Residence (AIR) 2026-2027" program aims to discover and support creative activities in various fields by inviting domestic and international artists. For this term, Ace Hotel Kyoto welcomes the Japanese culture and lifestyle magazine 'BRUTUS' as its new curation partner.
Since launching this program in New York in 2014, Ace Hotel has hosted hundreds of artists worldwide, providing a hotel room as a live-in studio for one month. Artists create new works during their stay, and the completed pieces are exhibited within the hotel and made public.
This program is globally deployed not only at Ace Hotel Kyoto but also in cities like Brooklyn, Sydney, and Palm Springs, in collaboration with their respective curation partners. The "Artist-in-Residence" is a unique Ace Hotel art program that respects freedom of creation and expression, supports artistic innovation, and fosters new relationships between artists, the hotel, and the city.
■ About Ace Hotel Kyoto
Name: Ace Hotel Kyoto (Japanese notation) / Ace Hotel Kyoto (English notation)
Location: 245-2 Kurumaya-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, within ShinPuhKan
Opening Date: June 11, 2020
Total Guest Rooms: 213 rooms (guest room section)
Launched in New York in 2014, the AIR program provides artists with a hotel room as a live-in studio, supporting them with time and space for creation. This exhibition will publicly display works created by Ms. Imazu during her stay at Ace Hotel Kyoto, focusing on the "everyday" landscapes she observed.
Additionally, to coincide with the exhibition's opening, a special workshop titled "SLOW SERIES" will be held on Saturday, May 2, led by Ms. Imazu, exploring the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
■ Artist-in-Residence 2026-2027 First Edition | Satoko Imazu
After studying under photographer Shingo Wakagi, Satoko Imazu became independent in 2004. She primarily works on travel and portrait photography for magazines, catalogs, and advertisements. With "everyday life" as her theme, her works for this Kyoto residency focus on the "Kyoto Imperial Palace," where local people spend their time as they please.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/satoko_imz/
Satoko Imazu
■ Exhibition Overview
Photographic works created by Ms. Imazu during her stay at Ace Hotel Kyoto will be exhibited in the 1st-floor gallery space of Ace Hotel Kyoto.
Furthermore, a reception party commemorating the exhibition's opening will be held in the lobby gallery from 18:30 to 20:00 on Friday, May 1.
Exhibition Title: "ECHOES"
Period: Friday, May 1, 2026 – Friday, July 31, 2026
Venue: Ace Hotel Kyoto 1st Floor Lobby Gallery (245-2 Kurumaya-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, within ShinPuhKan)
Admission: Free
ECHOES
■ Workshop Overview
To coincide with the exhibition's opening, a special workshop titled "SLOW SERIES" will be held on Saturday, May 2, led by Ms. Imazu.
Participants will take a photo tour while strolling through the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the setting for this project. Afterwards, back at the hotel gallery, the captured photos will be projected onto a screen, providing a special dialogue space for participants to share their perspectives and thoughts.
SLOW SERIES | Explore Through a Photo Tour Workshop with Satoko Imazu
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026: 10:30 AM~
Location: Kyoto Imperial Palace・Ace Hotel Kyoto 1st Floor Lobby Gallery
Participation Fee: Free
Reservation: https://jp.acehotel.com/kyoto/going-on/slow-series-explore-through-a-photo-tour-workshop-with-satoko-imazu/
Explore Through a Photo Tour Workshop with Satoko Imazu
■ About Ace Hotel Kyoto Artist-in-Residence Program
The "Artist-in-Residence (AIR) 2026-2027" program aims to discover and support creative activities in various fields by inviting domestic and international artists. For this term, Ace Hotel Kyoto welcomes the Japanese culture and lifestyle magazine 'BRUTUS' as its new curation partner.
Since launching this program in New York in 2014, Ace Hotel has hosted hundreds of artists worldwide, providing a hotel room as a live-in studio for one month. Artists create new works during their stay, and the completed pieces are exhibited within the hotel and made public.
This program is globally deployed not only at Ace Hotel Kyoto but also in cities like Brooklyn, Sydney, and Palm Springs, in collaboration with their respective curation partners. The "Artist-in-Residence" is a unique Ace Hotel art program that respects freedom of creation and expression, supports artistic innovation, and fosters new relationships between artists, the hotel, and the city.
■ About Ace Hotel Kyoto
Name: Ace Hotel Kyoto (Japanese notation) / Ace Hotel Kyoto (English notation)
Location: 245-2 Kurumaya-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, within ShinPuhKan
Opening Date: June 11, 2020
Total Guest Rooms: 213 rooms (guest room section)