What is
Virtual Photography Showcase?
Virtual Photography Showcase (VPS) is an art exhibition that presents virtual photography works—created within virtual spaces—in real, physical museum environments.
Our goal is to allow people of all ages and backgrounds, regardless of prior expertise, to experience new forms of expression born from digital technology.
VPS2026 will be held at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa.
The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa is a contemporary art museum that attracts many visitors from Japan and abroad, and is widely appreciated as an “open museum” accessible to a broad audience.
By exhibiting in a public and highly visited venue, VPS creates opportunities for people who have never encountered virtual culture before to naturally come into contact with these works.
International exhibition featuring invited artists from Japan and Global
VPS2026 is an international virtual photography exhibition that welcomes invited artists not only from Japan, but also from overseas.
Because virtual photography is created within virtual spaces, it is less constrained by geography, allowing artists from different countries and regions to produce their work under the same conditions.
At VPS2026, we present how artists with diverse cultural backgrounds and perspectives express themselves through virtual photography.
~ What is Virtual Photo ~
Virtual photography is a method of artistic expression in which worlds and entities that cannot be captured by real-world cameras are constructed within virtual spaces and presented as artworks.
Because subjects, light, composition, and time can all be freely designed, virtual photography tends to produce works that strongly reflect the artist’s concept and intention, rather than capturing a fleeting, accidental moment.
For this reason, virtual photography can be understood as a photographic medium that also possesses qualities similar to painting or illustration.
The exhibition will be held at the Kanazawa 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art!
While virtual photography has gained popularity within certain communities, opportunities for the general public to view such works in person remain limited.
By creating a space where international artists’ works can be experienced as photographic exhibitions in the open setting of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, VPS2026 presents new possibilities for virtual photography to society.
This exhibition invites visitors to enjoy the works freely—starting from feelings such as “beautiful,” “mysterious,” or “thought-provoking”—even without specialized knowledge.