As part of the 2025 KYOTOGRAPHIE associated programme, Another Man and Daisuke Yokota unveiled an exhibition of photography in a newly opened Kyoto machiya
On Saturday, April 12, a quietly transformative energy moved through the Lombard, a newly opened machiya space in Kyoto, as Daisuke Yokota x Another Man debuted as part of the official associated programme of KYOTOGRAPHIE 2025.
KYOTOGRAPHIE is Japan’s premier international photography festival, an annual celebration of image-making that threads exhibitions throughout the city in spaces both known and hidden. The inclusion of Yokota’s collaboration with Another Man is both fitting and subversive – a meeting point between radical photo experimentation and the cultural fashion lens the publication is known for.
The show marked the first event hosted at the Lombard – a traditional Kyoto townhouse recently acquired by Another Man art director Lina Kutsovskaya and her husband, the artist and photographer Nick Haymes. The space blends in with the area; dimly lit, minimal, and steeped in the quiet textures of old Kyoto. Formerly a pawn shop, the house still carries a certain weight, with guests asked to remove their shoes before stepping onto the tatami floor – a small, respectful ritual that immediately grounded the experience.
Yokota’s work has long been admired for its haunting physicality. In his silvery, visceral works, the photographer deliberately disrupts traditional development methods, exposing film to light leaks, scorching negatives, or subjecting them to boiling water and acidic treatments. What remains is not the subject itself but an abstracted world of shadows, textures and unpredictable distortions.
Seen within the context of the machiya, his images felt as if they belonged to the house; unearthed, not installed. The lighting remained faithful to the building’s natural ambiance, creating an atmosphere that was less gallery and more living archive.
Though the doors opened at 11am and visitors arrived steadily throughout the day, the energy remained intimate. By the evening, a casual drinks moment from 6-8pm kept guests a little longer. Beers, sake, and sparkling water flowed as the crowd, which ranged from photographers and artists to teens and families, shifted in conversation, with a clear reverence for the work on display.
In a quiet corner, Amanda Ling-Ning Lo of Nitesha Books curated a small selection of thoughtful reads, available alongside T-shirts featuring Yokota’s imagery and past issues of Another Man.
Daisuke Yokota x Another Man is on show in Kyoto until 25 May 2025. Following the exhibition, the space will undergo renovations to evolve into a fully fledged gallery and creative space. Tickets can be purchased here.
