DELTA - Kyoto

DELTA was born of the desire of its founders, Lucille Reyboz and Yusuke Nakanishi, to provide a permanent venue for the KYOTOGRAPHIE international photography festival they created in 2013, which attracts over 170,000 visitors from Japan and abroad every year. Emblematic of Kyoto's renewal, DELTA is a hybrid space that extends the approach and activities of the month-long festival held every spring throughout the year.

Born in autumn 2020 in the heart of the old-fashioned shōtengai (shopping mall) Demachi Masugata, DELTA takes root in the premises of a former fishmonger's and blends in with the small stores on the street, among booksellers, greengrocers and florists.

DELTA" takes its name from the "Kamo river delta" where the Kamo and Takano rivers meet. It was conceived as a place for sharing, creativity and encounters, to extend the KYOTOGRAPHIE experience and to promote the local community and its crafts. Its aim is to spread new ideas, born of the meeting of opposites: tradition and innovation, East and West, mainstream and underground, local and global.

DELTA is the latest fruit of the union between Lucille Reyboz and Yusuke Nakanishi.

Born in Lyon, Lucille Reyboz is a French photographer of multicultural inspiration. She began her photographic career in Africa, where she spent most of her childhood, and where she met singer Salif Keita, who led her to produce numerous album covers for the Blue Note and Verve labels. From there, she discovered Japan in 1999, invited by Ryuichi Sakamoto to collaborate on his opera "Life". A portrait photographer, she quickly developed her practice and exhibited her work worldwide, notably in Visa pour l'image (2001), Phillips de Pury in New York (2007) and CHANEL NEXUS HALL, Tokyo (2011). Seduced by Japan, she decided to settle there in 2007, first in Tokyo, then in Kyoto from 2011 in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. She co-founded KYOTOGRAPHIE with Yusuke Nakanishi in 2013.

Born in Kyushu, Japan's southernmost island, Yusuke Nakanishi is a lighting designer and director of photography who travels the world to nurture his practice. He has worked as a lighting designer for feature films, concerts, fashion shows and interior design. He has also created the Eatable Lights series of objects and exhibited his work at the Hara Museum, School Gallery Paris and Nuit Blanche Kyoto.

Located above the gallery and café area, DELTA STAY is a guest room that extends the KYOTOGRAPHIE experience, immersing you in the world of photography. Designed with quality materials and decorated with care, a selection of Japanese photographs is even renewed each season.

By combining photography, local life and contemporary Japanese design and craftsmanship, DELTA STAY becomes a peaceful haven in the heart of a lively shopping district, just a stone's throw from many of Kyoto's landmarks: the Kamogawa River, the Imperial Palace and Shimogamo Shrine.

The area also boasts a wide variety of stores and excellent restaurants serving local dishes and Kyoto specialties. Thanks to the accommodation's small kitchen, you can also prepare your own dishes using fresh local produce. 
DELTA Café-Gallery, located just below, can also provide room service during opening hours.
 

DELTA STAY is equipped with a twin or double bedroom, a bathroom with shower and bath blending traditional and modern styles, and a small kitchen. Located in the heart of the shōtengai (shopping mall) Demachi Masugata, DELTA STAY offers a breathtaking view of the surrounding neighborhood.

DELTA Gallery, KYOTOGRAPHIE's permanent exhibition, renewed every month

To extend KYOTOGRAPHIE's approach and activities, DELTA Gallery, on the first floor, hosts a new exhibition every month. Works and collections by emerging and established Japanese and international photographers are showcased, inviting visitors to explore new frontiers and question their relationship with the world.

KYOTOGRAPHIE Academie, a series of events, workshops and educational programs taught by leading figures in their fields, is also held here. In collaboration with nearby art schools and universities, DELTA also encourages and promotes young talent by hosting exhibitions created and organized by students.

DELTA bistro, another form of sharing

At DELTA Bistro, the focus is on the convergence of cultures. The menu is international, and the products used are those sold by shopkeepers in the Demachi Masugata gallery, with the same idea of promoting local life and know-how.

For Lucille Reyboz, "a space lives best when it serves good food", and for that you need a good chef.