Kyoto Forum フォーラム京都

Published on : 22/10/2018
by : J.R.

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Art and gastronomy in the heart of Kyoto

For all contemporary art enthusiasts or those who wish to discover a unique and definitely modern place in Kyoto, the Kyoto Forum is the ideal place.

Forum Kyoto , a special place in the city of a thousand temples, focuses on contemporary art and gastronomy. Organized over four floors , it offers a coffee corner , a French-Japanese fusion gourmet restaurant and even a bar area offering craft beers. The two upper floors house a set of spaces with flexible functions, intended to host art exhibitions , conferences and meetings , DJ sets and other concerts and performances. The Kyoto Forum wishes to highlight young Japanese and international talents , in a wide range of artistic fields such as visual arts, music, photography, design or fashion.

The goal of Forum Kyoto? Offer a moment of relaxation, culture and sharing to visitors from all walks of life, everyone can enjoy the different spaces, having the opportunity to listen to a concert after drinking a coffee or a glass of wine.

You'll easily find this small, elongated building wedged between two other buildings in the trendy Kawaramachi area on Kiyamachi-dori along the canal. From the outside, it is easily spotted with its wooden blinds . Inside, the space follows a very original organization: in the center is the staircase, the real backbone of the place. It delimits the spaces: thus there is no wall separating the rooms . This staircase seems to be suspended in the middle of places with a very modern and refined design , with concrete and light wood.

The creator and director of the place, Alexandre Maubert , is a young French artist , who won the "New Images" prize from Villa Kujoyama in 2012 and from the Tokyo Wonder Site in 2013. Attached to the promotion of emerging artists, he wanted that "something innovative is born from this space" by inaugurating the premises in December 2016.

To read: The National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto

Café and restaurant at the Forum

On the ground floor, you will find the premises' coffee corner: you can enjoy espresso (300 yen or €2.30, a moderate price for Japan), cold or hot lattes or even a " hand drip " coffee at the Japanese.

On the 1st floor (2F) is the bar , also entirely clad in wood. Many drinks are on offer, including craft beers from Japanese breweries such as Belgian IPAs or stouts. For those who are not into beer, the place also offers a nice list of organic wines and sake . On the same floor as the bar is the restaurant.

To discover: The Bibliotic Hello, a scholarly café

A space for all the arts

This is the originality and strength of the place, which offers events every week and is positioned as a new cultural place in the city . Artists invited to exhibit and express themselves, presentation of fashion collections, electro music concerts , performances ... there is something for everyone. Artists can exhibit their works, but also meet and converse directly with their audience . Evenings related to different themes of the year, or in partnership with galleries or other festive establishments are also regularly offered.

Forum Kyoto is also a partner of the Nuit Blanche Kyoto (inspired by the famous Parisian artistic event) which has taken place every year in October since 2014.

To follow and discover the artistic program each week, we advise you to consult their site or their Facebook-page .

Address, timetable & access

Address
Phone
+81 (0)75-744-6228
Timetable
A few minutes walk from Kawaramachi (Hankyu line) or Gion Shijo (Keihan line) stations
Access
Open Tuesday to Friday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. and weekends from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. Closed on Mondays.
Website
http://www.forumkyoto.com/