Much more than just a design event, Kyoto‘s inaugural Triennale is a space where art, design and craft meet. It will provide a place for participants to foster new encounters and innovations in craftsmanship, and encourage people from different cultures with shared passions to grow through conversation and collaboration. 

The Triennale will open its doors for the first time in October 2026. As well as the main exhibition, which is based on the Triennale’s manifesto and features displays of work by artists at Shosei-en Garden and Shigenobu Kai kan, there will be satellite exhibitions, open labs and exchange events in various locations throughout Kyoto.

The Triennale’s founding partners are Hiroyuki Anzai and Isao Kitabayashi (founders of the very successful Kyoto Design Week), Alessandro Biamonti (Professor at the Design Department of Politecnico di Milano), Andrea Petochi (Managing Director of Liberty London) and Pentagram Partner Harry Pearce. The full curatorial team also includes: Esha Gupta (Founder & Editor, Design Pataki), Kodama Kanamura (Independent Curator / Artistic Director, Code-a-Machine) and Shaikha Al-Sulaiti (Senior Concept Manager, Doha Design District / Curator & Designer, Doha, Qatar).

The first step was to create a manifesto for the Triennale, and following on from this, Harry and his team at Pentagram was tasked with creating its identity. After receiving a collection of hand drawn cards from local Kyoto artists and craftspeople with their personal thoughts and insights on what the Triennale should be, in 2025 Harry presented his idea to the Triennale committee.

Shortly before this, Harry had a dream in which the symbol appeared as a traditional interlocking three-part Japanese timber joint. It became the foundation of the logo, expressing both the spirit of the Triennale and the coming together of art, craft and design. In Japanese YouMe means dream, giving the idea an unexpected but very pleasing sense of synchronicity.

Harry and Associate Partner Johannes Grimmond developed the resulting symbol which can be used in many different ways with multiple forms. It can appear empty as well as solid, filled with images, textures or lines, and embossed onto surfaces or printed on fabric. This endlessly flexible approach is designed to incorporate the Godai (五大), which are the five classical elements in Japanese philosophy: earth, water, fire, wind and void.

The symbol is joined by a wordmark set in a monospaced typeface. Neither Eastern or Western in style and based on form not ornament, it draws on the philosophical values of simplicity, restraint and honest form. Its even rhythm and balanced structure offer harmony and precision without imposing any particular visual style.

Pentagram also designed the exhibition graphics and wayfinding for the main Triennale exhibition space at Shōsei-en Gardens. Delicate hanging panels with quotes from the manifesto greet visitors as they enter and feature throughout the space. Sculptures and craft pieces are displayed on large plinths and the centrepiece is a supersized solid version of the logo crafted from plywood. The logo appears again in three-dimensional form as both framed and solid structures which appear in the gardens themselves. These join other two- and three-dimensional wayfinding elements which will be installed across the site. The first Triennale catalogue, also designed by Pentagram team, reflects the handcrafted nature of both the objects it documents and the event itself.

From the symbol and typography to the exhibition graphics and catalogue, every element of the Triennale has been designed to express the same underlying philosophy: that art, craft and design are most meaningful when they come together through making, conversation and collaboration.

Special thanks to the Agency for Cultural Affairs , Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City

And the Triennale’s founders: Isao Kitabayashi, Hiroyuki Anzai, Andrea Petochi and Alessandro Biamonti