For KG＋ 2026, Horikawa Oike Gallery brings together a range of projects centered on schools and academies. In addition to the lecture series KG＋ ACADEMY and K-Youth × KG＋, an exchange program with South Korea, the venue hosts exhibitions organized by universities, educational institutions, and vocational schools. What does it mean to learn through photography? Here, in the unique setting of a festival, visitors can discover the many forms and rhythms that learning can take.

KG+ ACADEMY features a series of lectures by professionals working in photography and the arts under the theme “Photography + PLUS.” By moving back and forth between experience and reflection, the program creates a unique learning environment that deepens understanding in a way only a festival can offer.

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KG+ Academy

Venue: Horikawa Oike Gallery, PURPLE
Capacity: 8 participants

Admission Fees

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#01 “Photography + The Lost 30 Years”

Lecturer: Yuki Nakazawa (KG＋ Program Director)
Date: May 2 (Sat), 19:00–20:30
Venue: PURPLE

Overview:
From the 1990s and 2000s into the 2010s, this lecture traces the history of Japanese photography in relation to its socio-historical context and its transmission across generations.

In Japan, the Heisei era began with the collapse of the bubble economy, while globally, the end of the Cold War, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the fall of the Berlin Wall marked a shift away from grand narratives. In their place emerged a proliferation of smaller narratives, alongside the rise of the internet, new forms of connectivity, and a peculiar sense of temporality.

Within this context, photographic expression entered a period of transformation and emergence, leading into developments after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. This lecture dynamically interprets the history of photography in relation to these contexts and seeks to connect it to contemporary photographic practices.

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#02 “Photography + Photography + Systems of Evaluation: A Comparative Perspective between Taiwan and Japan”

Lecturer: Hou Penghui
Date: May 3 (Sun), 13:00–14:30
Venue: Horikawa Oike Gallery

Overview:
This lecture reconsiders how photographic culture is formed through multiple factors, examining comparative cases from Japan and Taiwan.

In Japan, it focuses on the development of photography exhibitions and the cultural background that supports them, including how the concept of the “original print” has influenced exhibition practices and collection systems.

In Taiwan, where opportunities for exhibitions and publications have been more limited, portfolio reviews and international photo festivals have functioned as alternative circuits for evaluation and connection. Through these differences, the lecture explores systems of evaluation in photography and the structures behind them.

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#03 “Photography + Sorcery”

Lecturer: Keiju Kita
Date: May 4 (Mon), 13:00–14:30
Venue: Horikawa Oike Gallery

Overview:
Contemporary art is often described as “difficult to understand.” But is it truly incomprehensible—or have we simply lacked the language to approach it?

This lecture proposes a framework for interpreting contemporary art by borrowing the structure of the manga Jujutsu Kaisen. By rethinking an artist’s methodology as a “technique,” the resources that sustain a work as “energy,” and exhibition or institutional frameworks as “barriers,” seemingly complex works become surprisingly clear.

This perspective extends to photography—one of the most radically transforming media today—offering a 90-minute session that reads the forefront of post/photography through the language of sorcery.

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#04 “Photography + Perceiving Print”

Lecturers:
Masataka Ohata (SunM Color Co., Ltd.)
Hiroshi Kimura (SunM Color Co., Ltd.)
Kazuki Kitahara (UMMM Co., Ltd.)

Date: May 4 (Mon), 19:00–20:30
Venue: PURPLE

Overview:
Even when using the same photographic data, images viewed on a smartphone screen differ significantly from those printed on paper in terms of brightness, color, texture, and spatial perception.

This lecture examines where and why these differences arise through three perspectives: light and matter, continuity and particles, and flat surfaces and objects. By considering display emission, paper and ink reflection, halftone dots, paper types, binding, and page sequencing, printing is reinterpreted not as mere reproduction but as a technique that designs and transforms perception.

Through comparative examples, participants explore what occurs between photography and print across technology, design, and bookmaking, and how changes in viewing environments and materials expand the photographic experience.

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#05 “Photography + Theory of the Act of Shooting”

Lecturer: Yoshiaki Kai (Photography Historian)
Date: May 5 (Tue), 13:00–14:30
Venue: Horikawa Oike Gallery

Overview:
With the rise of generative AI, the environment surrounding photography has changed dramatically. Images that resemble photographs but are created without cameras are now widespread, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish photography from other types of imagery.

This lecture examines the significance of taking photographs—especially engaging in photographic practice—within this context, through the framework of the “four-stage process of creative shooting (empathy – discovery – affirmation – worldview).”

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#06 “Photography + Art Writing”

Lecturer: Ko Minamishima

Date:
① April 20 (Mon), 19:00–20:30 (Online)
② May 5 (Tue), 19:00–20:30 (In-person)

Venue:
① Online
② PURPLE

Participation in both sessions is recommended.

Overview:
This workshop focuses on developing writing skills to communicate the appeal of art in a logical and engaging way. From the fundamentals of art criticism to practical techniques for writing reviews that resonate with readers, it provides clear and accessible guidance.

Whether you are a beginner struggling to organize your thoughts or someone seeking more persuasive expression, all are welcome. Cultivate your way of seeing and expand the world of art through words that only you can write.

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#07 “Photography + If Exhibition Is Taken as a Given”

Lecturer: Kiritorimederu
Date: May 6 (Wed), 19:00–20:30
Venue: PURPLE

Overview:
Taking photographs does not necessarily mean showing them to others. But when it comes to exhibiting photographs, what possibilities are available?

As a medium, photography is materially fragile, and in the age of generative images, its sense of authenticity appears increasingly uncertain. Within this context, how can photographs be arranged and presented in exhibitions?

Focusing on exhibitions from the past decade, including KG+ 2024, this lecture also examines several historically significant exhibitions to explore approaches to displaying photography.