BMW continues support of international photography festival KYOTOGRAPHIE.
Kyoto. Kyoto’s annual international photography festival KYOTOGRAPHIE is being held again this year from April 14 to May 13. As the festival celebrates its sixth anniversary, BMW will come on board again as the main partner, providing free electric shuttle cars and bicycles to promote environmentally-responsible mobility during the event.
Unlike most exhibitions, KYOTOGRAPHIE is held not in a single gallery or museum, but rather in various unusual venues around the city. This concept encourages art-lovers to visit unique locations throughout Kyoto, some of them open to the public exclusively for this event. This year, the festival will encompass 15 different exhibitions in 15 fascinating sites, including the basement of an old newspaper printing plant, a former ice factory, a temple and even a wholesale market.
Together with CHANEL KK, BMW will present an exciting exhibition of the works of multi-talented image-maker Jean-Paul Goude, including a special dance performance. Famous for his work with international celebrities such as Grace Jones, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams and Drew Barrymore, the French artist is bringing his “So Far So Goude” installation to Japan for the first time. Goude designed a special wrapping for one of the free BMW i3 shuttles that will circulate during the festival. Another shuttle car, wrapped by up-and-coming Japanese artist Izumi Miyazaki, will also be on show.
Chosen as the official car of the event, one BMW i3 will be loaned to the City of Kyoto, KYOTOGRAPHIE’s co-organizer. Kyoto City Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa will personally receive the BMW i3, a vehicle famous for its concept of sustainability and environmental responsibility – themes that resonate particularly well in the home of the Kyoto Protocol.
BMW Group Japan President and CEO Peter Kronschnabl commented:
“We’re very proud to be supporting KYOTOGRAPHIE 2018. Like BMW, KYOTOGRAPHIE prizes innovation and creativity. I have every confidence that this festival will grow and bring new stimulus to the world of art, just as BMW does to the world of mobility.”
Aside from Jean-Paul Goude, the festival will also include exhibitions from internationally renowned artists such as China’s Liu Bolin, America’s Stephen Shames and Japan’s own Tadashi Ono. These artists and more are scheduled to visit their installations in person, offering visitors a rare chance to get a personal insight into the work of these creative geniuses.
For more information, visit the official KYOTOGRAPHIE website.
About BMW Group’s Cultural Commitment
For almost 50 years now, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in over 100 cultural cooperations worldwide. The company places the main focus of its long-term commitment on contemporary and modern art, classical music and jazz as well as architecture and design. In 1972, three large-scale paintings were created by the artist Gerhard Richter specifically for the foyer of the BMW Group’s Munich headquarters. Since then, artists such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Daniel Barenboim, Jonas Kaufmann and architect Zaha Hadid have co-operated with BMW. In 2016 and 2017, female artist Cao Fei from China and American John Baldessari created the next two vehicles for the BMW Art Car Collection. Besides co-initiatives, such as BMW Tate Live, the BMW Art Journey and the “Opera for All” concerts in Berlin, Munich and London, the company also partners with leading museums and art fairs as well as orchestras and opera houses around the world. The BMW Group takes absolute creative freedom in all its cultural activities – as this initiative is as essential for producing groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.
