Kyoto Art Center has received a public inquiry concerning the invitation of Mr. Nir de Volff as a workshop instructor for the “Kyoto International Dance Workshop Festival 2025,” a program hosted by our institution. We would like to take this opportunity to clarify the facts and share our position as follows.

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[Question 1]
Given the current situation in Palestine, why is an artist with ties to Israel being invited?

Kyoto Art Center respects freedom of expression and values cultural dialogue. From this standpoint, we do not equate an individual artist’s creative activities with the political positions of the country in which they were born or reside.
Mr. Nir de Volff was nominated by our co-organizer, the Dance and Environment Association, and we, as the host institution, approved his participation based on our assessment that he is a highly capable dancer and instructor appropriate for this program.

[Question 2]
Was any financial or institutional support from Israeli organizations involved in this invitation?

No, there was not.
Additionally, in response to the inquiry regarding the listing of Mr. Nir de Volff’s profile on the website of the America-Israel Cultural Foundation, we have confirmed that this information was published without the artist’s knowledge or consent. Mr. Nir de Volff has already submitted a formal request for removal directly to the Foundation, and as of May 30, 2025, his information has been deleted from the relevant webpage.

[Question 3]
Why does Mr. Nir de Volff include military service in his profile?

Profile information is based on materials provided by the artist.
Kyoto Art Center has not conducted any inquiry regarding the mention of military service.
However, we have shared this specific question with Mr. Nir de Volff, and his response is below.

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Dear people, dear artists,

In the year 2000, when I was very young artist, I left my homeland for Europe to this very day.
Since the establishment of my Dance-theater company in Berlin 2007,
my artistic mission and effort have been to spread hope, empathy and equality among artists worldwide.
I am busy with the question: what connects us as humans and refuse to follow all political forces that try to separate us with hate, whether it may be in my homeland, in Germany (my home for 22 years) or elsewhere on this globe.
In that regard, one of my biggest my life mission was and always will be to connect and work with artists from the Middle East and build together bridges of hope for peace and a better future.
Since the beginning of my artistic path, I have offered artists and non-artists to search together for freedom in their body and mind, I do it all over the world in different contexts with 100% of love and respect.
I invite anyone to take a good deep look at my website www.totalbrutal.net and check each single project and its artistic context, to understand my artistic, sensitive universal path.
If you Google my name, you will find out many links, showing that I am the only established Choreographer in Europe who left Israel many years ago and still seek to work with diverse artists from the Middle East.
I stand strongly against all current wars and believe that every person on this complex earth must live and dance freely.
Nir de Volff, 31.05.2025, Berlin.

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※We would also like to share a link to “The Freedom Picnic,” an event held in Berlin in July 2025 with the involvement of Mr. Nir de Volff. This performance featured dancers from the Middle East and included a fundraising effort to support children suffering in Gaza.
https://dock11-berlin.de/en/theater/program/calendar/the-freedom-picnic

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[Closing Remarks]

A message from Mayumi Yamamoto, Chief Program Director, Kyoto Art Center

I strongly oppose all forms of war, conflict, and violence that continue to affect people around the world today. In particular, I am deeply concerned about the severe threats faced by both Israeli and Palestinian civilians—and especially the grave humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, which has raised international concern, including allegations of possible genocide by some observers.

At the same time, I firmly believe that artistic practices involving people from diverse backgrounds—and the dialogue that arises through such practices—have the potential to contribute meaningfully to the resolution of such inhumane conditions.

Many artists around the world are raising their voices in response to the Israel–Palestine conflict. Like them, I believe that continuing to ask ourselves, as fellow artists and as citizens of our time, “What can we do?” is itself a powerful act. And here at Kyoto Art Center, we are also committed to sustaining a space where people with differing perspectives can come together, listen, and speak.

In 1978, the City of Kyoto adopted the Declaration of Kyoto as a City Open to the Free Exchange of World Cultures:

“A free city for international cultural exchange is one where peoples of any country may assemble freely and in peace, regardless of race, creed or social system, for the purpose of cultural exchange.”

That declaration might sound overly optimistic today, given the urgency of the world’s current condition. Precisely because of this, I believe it is all the more important to extend the ideals expressed in the declaration—not only within Kyoto, but across borders, to the world.

Kyoto Art Center will continue striving to create a space where the values of peace and dialogue can be shared through cultural and artistic endeavors.

Mayumi Yamamoto
Chief Program Director, Kyoto Art Center