“Seeing Sound, Hearing Time”, an exhibition by Ryuichi Sakamoto
The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo is pleased to present the exhibition “Ryuichi Sakamoto | Seeing Sound, Hearing Time”.
Address: The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Hours: Until March 30, 2025
Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952–2023), composer and artist, continuously shaped the spirit of his time through his diverse and pioneering artistic activities.
Since the 2000s, he dedicated himself to creating three-dimensional sound installations in exhibition spaces, developed and realised in collaboration with various artists.
“I’m fascinated by the notion of a perpetual sound: a sound that won’t dissipate over time.” R. Sakamoto
This first comprehensive exhibition in his home country, dedicated exclusively to large-scale installations, revisits Sakamoto’s pioneering and experimental creative works, including some of his most renowned pieces as well as new creations he personally conceived for this occasion before his passing.
These works have been dynamically constructed within and around the museum building, offering a truly unique experience. Highly recommended.
Coda: A Documentary on the Life of the Japanese Artist and Composer
“Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda” follows the life of the Japanese composer during his recovery process between New York and Tokyo after being diagnosed with throat cancer.
Directed by Stephen Nomura Schible (2017), the documentary provides viewers with an intimate portrait of the musician in his studio while also tracing his musical journey—from his early days leading Yellow Magic Orchestra, one of Japan’s pioneering electronic pop groups, to his solitary and immersive exploration of everyday sounds, from city streets to forests, from rainfall to traffic.
These sonic landscapes became an essential part of his final musical project, which sought a delicate balance between chaos and harmony, and between nature and technology.
“Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda” takes viewers on a journey through the contemporary musical landscape, guided by a restless composer in constant transformation and search. With a cosmopolitan artistic sensibility deeply rooted in Japanese culture, Sakamoto’s work explores the relationship between humans and nature, while also embracing causes such as environmental activism, anti-war movements, and the closure of nuclear power plants—especially after the Fukushima disaster. In the aftermath, he performed a concert in the affected area and salvaged a piano that had miraculously survived the flooding caused by the tsunami. The 102-minute film offers an intimate glimpse into Sakamoto’s daily work in his studio, surrounded by books, records, films, notebooks, synthesisers, mixing consoles, keyboards, and percussion instruments. It also reveals his creative process during his illness as he composed the scores for “The Revenant”, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Haha to Kuraseba (“Nagasaki: Memories of My Son”), directed by Yoji Yamada.
About Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto was born in Tokyo in 1952.
He debuted in 1978 with the album Thousand Knives and built an extensive and diverse career that included pioneering electronic music with the legendary techno group Yellow Magic Orchestra, producing pop albums, composing classical pieces, two operas, and nearly 45 original film and television scores. His film compositions have earned prestigious awards, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, a Grammy, and many others.
For decades, Sakamoto was also a dedicated activist, focusing his efforts on environmental conservation and world peace. He founded the forest preservation organisation more trees and the Tohoku Youth Orchestra, supporting victims of the Tohoku earthquake through music.
In addition to his musical legacy, Sakamoto made significant contributions to the art world, with works exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide. Most recently, M WOODS in China presented the most extensive and comprehensive collection of Sakamoto’s multidisciplinary works, spanning 30 years of his career and featuring eight large-scale sound installations (Beijing, 2021; Chengdu, 2023).
“The key concept is to open your ears. Music can be here and there, anywhere surrounding you.” R. Sakamoto
Even after his passing, Sakamoto continued to push boundaries in the art world with the groundbreaking mixed-reality concert piece KAGAMI, which has toured New York, Manchester, London, and many other locations.
Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away in March 2023 at the age of 71.
(*) Photographs provided by the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. Cover image: Installation view of the exhibition Ryuichi Sakamoto | seeing sound, hearing time at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2024. Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani, async–immersion tokyo, 2024. ©2024 KAB Inc. Photo: Takeshi Asano. Horizontal still image 1: Installation view of the exhibition Ryuichi Sakamoto | seeing sound, hearing time at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2024. Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani, LIFE–fluid, invisible, inaudible…, 2007.©2024 KAB Inc. Photo: Takeshi Asano. Horizontal still image 2: Installation view of the exhibition Ryuichi Sakamoto | seeing sound, hearing time at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2024. Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani, TIME TIME, 2024. ©2024 KAB Inc. Photo: Kazuo Fukunaga. Slider image & vertical image 1: Min Tanaka, Locus Focus in Ryuichi Sakamoto + Fujiko Nakaya + Shiro Takatani, LIFE–WELL TOKYO, Fog Sculpture #47662, 2024. Photo: Itaru Hirama. Vertical image 2: Seeing Sound, Hearing Time at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2024. Ryuichi Sakamoto + Toshio Iwai, Music Plays Images X Images Play Music, 1996–1997/2024. ©2024 KAB Inc. Photo: Ryuichi Maruo. Vertical image 3: Installation view of the exhibition Ryuichi Sakamoto | seeing sound, hearing time at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2024. Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani, IS YOUR TIME, 2024. ©2024 KAB Inc. Photo: Kazuo Fukunaga. Vertical image 4: Installation view of the exhibition Ryuichi Sakamoto | seeing sound, hearing time at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2024. Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani, LIFE–fluid, invisible, inaudible…, 2007. ©2024 KAB Inc. Photo: Ryuichi Maruo.
