Ryuichi Sakamoto | seeing sound, hearing time surveys the pioneering artistic practice of the late composer and artist Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952–2023) from the 2000s onward. The exhibition illuminates how Sakamoto transcended the boundaries of sound, image, digital technology, and the real world to shape a new vocabulary for contemporary perceptual experience. Featuring seven large-scale installations alongside selected archival materials, including materials related to the 1999 opera LIFE, the exhibition traces Sakamoto’s reflections on life, the environment, technology, and “symbiosis,” as well as the development of his practice toward installation art. The exhibition also showcases his long-term collaborations with artists such as Shiro Takatani, Daito Manabe, Carsten Nicolai, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Zakkubalan. At its core, the exhibition examines how Sakamoto expanded music from a time-based art form into a spatial experience that can be seen and perceived. Through natural and technological media including water, fog, meteorological data, and electromagnetic waves, his works continually probe the limits of human perception, while echoing his relentless exploration of “Installation Music” in his later years. It invites audiences to rediscover Sakamoto’s interdisciplinary influence across music, sound, and visual culture. His practice not only broadened the horizons of contemporary sound, but also proposed new ways of perceiving and listening to the world.
Collaborating Artists:
Shiro Takatani
Daito Manabe
Carsten Nicolai
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Zakkubalan
Curator Sachiko Namba
In special cooperation with The Estate of Ryuichi Sakamoto / KAB Inc. and Dumb Type Office Ltd.
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Seeing Sound, Hearing Time
Oct 31, 2026 – Mar 14, 2027
Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Taipei, Taiwan
