Raphaël Zarka Exhibition at Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art from February 2027; French Artist Explores Geometry and Skateboarding

The solo exhibition “Raphaël Zarka: Geometry, Time, Skateboarding” by French artist Raphaël Zarka (born 1977) will be held at the Higashiyama Cube in the new wing of the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art from Saturday, February 6 to Wednesday, May 5 (national holiday), 2027. According to the museum, it will be his first full-scale solo exhibition in Japan. In addition to his major works to date, new works made during his stay and production in Kyoto from April to July 2026 will be presented in sculpture, photography, video, drawings and models. Admission is 1,800 yen for adults, and tickets go on sale on Tuesday, December 1.

Who is Raphaël Zarka? An artist who calls his work “documentary sculpture”

Zarka was born in Montpellier, France, in 1977 and is based in Paris. He graduated from the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the Winchester School of Art in the UK. He works in the field of “expanded” sculpture, including photography, drawing and writing, and is also known as the author of three essays on the forms and spaces of skateboarding.

According to the museum’s introduction, Zarka’s working method is reminiscent of a researcher or archaeologist, and he also calls his work “documentary sculpture.” He is particularly interested in how geometric forms, borrowed from the margins of art history in the fields of science and technology, have changed over time. He is currently researching the evolution of free-standing sundials in 17th-century Europe, aiming to obtain a practice-based doctorate.

What can visitors see? The geometry hidden in steps and curves

According to the museum, Zarka has explored the relationships between form and space, movement and time across geometry, mathematics, sculpture, architecture and skateboarding. He researches geometric forms and principles found in mathematics, the history of science, architecture and abstract sculpture, and reinterprets them as works.

Skateboarding, which began as a personal passion, is an important theme. Engaging physically with urban and architectural spaces, he has turned his attention to the geometric forms hidden in steps, slopes, curved surfaces and structures, which also raises the question of who uses public space and how. The exhibition will also present the process of discovering forms and turning them into works through research and reflection. The number of works on display had not been announced as of October 20.

In Japan, he took part in the 2024 group exhibition “Tsukanoma no Teihakusha (Transient Moorers)” (February 16 – May 31), held by the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès at Le Forum of Ginza Maison Hermès. One of the works shown was the photographic series “Riding Modern Art” (2007–2016). According to the foundation, the series captures skateboarders making visible the dynamics of movement hidden in geometric public art. Around the same time, a solo exhibition introducing this series was also held at the Institut français du Japon – Tokyo. The Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art’s exhibition page shows an installation view of “Paving Space Regular Score W8M1” (2016) at that Hermès exhibition.

Why Kyoto? A residency at Villa Kujoyama and new works

Zarka was selected as a 2026 resident of Villa Kujoyama, a residency facility in Kyoto. According to Villa Kujoyama’s announcement, his field is visual arts and his stay lasts four months. His project, “Parallel Perspectives – Masakazu Horiuti and the Use of Geometrical Figures in Japanese Arts,” takes as its subject the use of geometric figures in Japanese arts.

According to the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, Zarka stayed in Kyoto from April to July 2026 to conduct research and make work. The exhibition will trace his ongoing dialogue with past forms and works while showing works born from his encounter with Kyoto as a place. Grants come from Villa Kujoyama and the NISSHA Foundation. Through a program supporting former Villa Kujoyama residents, the exhibition is also supported by the Institut français, the Institut français du Japon and the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller.

Tickets, prices and access

Admission is 1,800 yen for adults (1,600 yen for groups of 20 or more) and 1,300 yen for university, vocational school and high school students (1,100 yen for groups); junior high school students and younger are free. Holders of a disability certificate or similar and one caregiver are admitted free. There are no advance prices, and tickets go on sale at 10:00 on Tuesday, December 1, 2026 through the museum’s official online ticket service.

Opening hours are 10:00 to 18:00 (last entry 17:30). The museum is closed on Mondays but open on Monday, March 22 (substitute holiday) and Monday, May 3 (national holiday). It is about an eight-minute walk from Exit 1 of Higashiyama Station on the Tozai subway line. The nearest city bus stop is Okazaki Koen Bijutsukan/Heian Jingu-mae on routes 5 and 46, and route 5 departs from stop A1 at Kyoto Station. Parking on the north side of the main building (paid, no reservations) is limited, so the museum also suggests Okazaki Park Parking. Nearby museums are introduced in our guide to museums in Okazaki, Kyoto.

Overview

Name: Raphaël Zarka: Geometry, Time, Skateboarding
Dates: Saturday, February 6 – Wednesday, May 5 (national holiday), 2027
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30)
Closed: Mondays (open March 22 and May 3)
Venue: Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, New Wing, Higashiyama Cube
Address: 124 Okazaki Enshojicho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Admission: Adults 1,800 yen, university, vocational school and high school students 1,300 yen, junior high school students and younger free (groups of 20 or more 200 yen off each). No advance prices
Tickets: On sale from December 1, 2026 through the museum’s official online ticket service
Organizers: City of Kyoto, Sony Music Entertainment, Kansai TV, The Mainichi Newspapers
Grants: Villa Kujoyama; NISSHA Foundation
Cooperation: Sokyo Gallery
Official website: https://kyotocity-kyocera.museum/exhibition/20270206-20270505
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art, May 2022 (Photo: inunami, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on information on the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art’s official website, Villa Kujoyama’s announcement of its 2026 residents, press materials from the Institut français (September 1, 2025) and information on the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès’s official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team