From Saturday, December 21, 2024, to Sunday, March 30, 2025, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo will host "Ryuichi Sakamoto | Seeing Sound, Hearing Time," the largest solo exhibition in Japan to date, comprehensively introducing the large-scale installation works of musician and artist Ryuichi Sakamoto.
To commemorate this, MEDICOM TOY will release a limited collection of apparel and three-dimensional items based on Sakamoto’s past works. We introduce this collection along with answers from Sakamoto’s management team regarding the exhibition and merchandise.

For over 50 years, Ryuichi Sakamoto consistently pushed the boundaries of his time through diverse creative endeavors. From the 1990s, he explored live performances utilizing multimedia, and since the 2000s, through collaborations with various artists, he actively contemplated and practiced the spatial installation of sound within exhibition spaces.

"Ryuichi Sakamoto | Seeing Sound, Hearing Time" centers on an exhibition concept left by Sakamoto for the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo before his passing. It dynamically presents over ten immersive and experiential sound installation works, exploring themes of sound and time—longstanding interests of Sakamoto's creative practice—through new, unreleased pieces and past masterpieces, arranged throughout the museum's indoor and outdoor spaces. This exhibition traces the trajectory of Sakamoto's pioneering and experimental creative activities, introducing a new facet of this extraordinary artist to a wide audience.

Collaboration Artists| SHIRO TAKATANI, Daito Manabe, Carsten Nicolai, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Zakkubalan, Toshio Iwai
Special Collaboration| Fujiko Nakaya

[Exhibition Layout]
— Exhibition Rooms, 1F —
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani | TIME TIME 2024 (New Work)
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani | water state 1 2013
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani | IS YOUR TIME 2017/2024
Carsten Nicolai | PHOSPHENES, ENDO EXO 2024 (New Work) Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto

— Exhibition Rooms, B2F —
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Apichatpong Weerasethakul | async–first light 2017
Apichatpong Weerasethakul | Durmiente 2021 (First exhibition in Japan)
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani | async–immersion tokyo 2024
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Zakkubalan | async–volume 2017
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani | LIFE–fluid, invisible, inaudible… 2007

*Special Archive Exhibition: A new installation recreating a performance from 1996–97
Ryuichi Sakamoto × Toshio Iwai | Music Plays Images X Images Play Music 1996–1997/2024 (First exhibition)

— Courtyard (1F / Outdoor) —
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Daito Manabe | Sensing Streams 2024–invisible, inaudible (MOT version) 2024

— Sunken Garden (B2F / Outdoor) —*Special Collaboration
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Fujiko Nakaya + Shiro Takatani | LIFE–WELL TOKYO Fog Sculpture #47769 2024 (New Work)

We received email responses from Ryuichi Sakamoto’s management team regarding the current exhibition.

— Could you please tell us about the concept and content of "Ryuichi Sakamoto | Seeing Sound, Hearing Time" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo?

The exhibition itself does not have a concept.
This reflects Ryuichi Sakamoto’s intentional avoidance of fitting his creative activities into existing concepts or categories.

This exhibition is an attempt to embody Ryuichi Sakamoto’s essential inquiries into "sound as existence" and "time as perception" through space. Here, approximately ten sound installation works interact with the physical exhibition space, each creating its own unique "place."

The conventional concept of "music" has been understood as a sequence of musical tones unfolding along a timeline, inherently containing a linear "time." However, the "sound" experienced in this exhibition deconstructs such linear temporal perception, emerging as "sound" that exists autonomously within space. This will likely serve as an opportunity to re-examine the very nature of our perception.

The exhibited works blur the boundaries between sight and hearing, and between the material and immaterial. The act of "seeing sound" transcends our conventional perceptual frameworks, opening up new sensory possibilities. "Hearing time" means touching the essence of time beyond linear temporal concepts.

Each work will transform in relation to the exhibition space and the audience. This may lead to a re-examination of the concept of a fixed "artwork" itself.

We hope this exhibition serves not merely as a venue for displaying artworks, but as a space where each visitor can contemplate, through their own bodies, the essential relationship between "sound," "space," and "time" that Ryuichi Sakamoto explored throughout his life.

— "Seeing Sound, Hearing Time" shares its title with the book published in 1982, which recorded Sakamoto’s dialogues with philosopher Sozo Omori. Could you please elaborate on the significance of this title for the current solo exhibition?

While the book title and the exhibition concept are not directly related, it was determined that this title best represented Ryuichi Sakamoto’s philosophy, who had been deeply contemplating "music" and "time" even before his career as a musician. Thus, we decided to use this title for the exhibition held at M WOODS in Beijing in 2021. Although we considered new titles for this exhibition, we found no expression more fitting than "Seeing Sound, Hearing Time," and thus decided to use the same title as the book and the Beijing exhibition.

Ryuichi Sakamoto consistently practiced "opening his ears," allowing him to perceive the world in diverse ways. Even what seems like silence can be musical, and visual elements can emerge from silence. I believe he aimed to convey that one can "see sound" and "hear time."

— Since the 1980s, Sakamoto has collaborated with numerous artists and produced many works in the fields of contemporary art and media art. What were his thoughts behind these pioneering and energetic "active border-crossing" activities into the art world?

I believe Ryuichi Sakamoto saw no boundaries in expression.
Rather than being confined within his own mind, I think he sought external stimuli as a practice to move beyond his own consciousness. Perhaps freeing himself from the formula of "music" was a form of self-liberation.

— This time, MEDICOM TOY is releasing apparel featuring motifs from Ryuichi Sakamoto’s album jackets. This could also be considered an "active border-crossing" into the art world. Could you share the background of this project’s realization, the selection of works, and any memorable interactions during the supervision process?

I don't necessarily see this itself as an active border-crossing into art, but it does not negate the existence of visual elements born from musical works as standalone visual entities.

During his lifetime, Ryuichi Sakamoto was not particularly interested in looking back at the past. He preferred to constantly move forward, seeking new expressions of himself.
Now that Ryuichi Sakamoto has passed away, we agreed to MEDICOM TOY’s proposal, believing that it would be gratifying for fans to have these motifs presented again in a tangible form.

— Among the current lineup, is there a particular jacket that Sakamoto himself favored?

While "B-2 UNIT" clearly shows Bauhaus influences, I believe he was very fond of this album jacket.

— Do you have a message for visitors regarding the exhibition "Ryuichi Sakamoto | Seeing Sound, Hearing Time"?

I have no particular message.
We sincerely hope you will visit the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and experience the space of "Seeing Sound, Hearing Time" created by Ryuichi Sakamoto.

MLE Ryuichi Sakamoto
*All products will be available for pre-sale starting Saturday, December 21, 2024, at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.
"Thousand Knives"
His first original album, released on October 25, 1978. The title track was later performed live by YMO and self-covered on their 1981 album "BGM."

"Thousand Knives" TEE
Sizes | S, M, L, XL
Price | ¥7,480 each (incl. tax)

"Thousand Knives" TOTE BAG
Size | W380mm × H460mm
Price | ¥7,480 each (incl. tax)

"B-2 UNIT"
His second original album, released on September 21, 1980. Featured guitarist Andy Partridge of XTC and Masashi Kumihara of Gu-Jo-Gure-Yoh, along with Kenji Omura, and engineer Dennis Bovell. Recording took place in Tokyo and London.

"B-2 UNIT" TEE
Sizes | S, M, L, XL
Price | ¥7,480 each (incl. tax)

"B-2 UNIT" TOTE BAG
Size | W380mm × H460mm
Price | ¥7,480 each (incl. tax)

"B-2 UNIT" Crew Neck Sweater
Sizes | M, L
Price | ¥39,600 each (incl. tax)

"Left-Handed Dream"
His third original album, released on October 5, 1981. It prominently features his own vocals and includes contributions from Adrian Belew, Yukihiro Takahashi, Haruomi Hosono, and Kiyohiko Senba.

"Left-Handed Dream" TEE
Sizes | S, M, L, XL
Price | ¥7,480 each (incl. tax)

"Left-Handed Dream" TOTE BAG
Size | W380mm × H460mm
Price | ¥7,480 each (incl. tax)

"Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence"
The first soundtrack album, created for Nagisa Oshima's film "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" (1983), in which Sakamoto also acted as Captain Yonoi. Released on May 1, 1983. Winner of the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music.

"Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" TEE
Sizes | S, M, L, XL
Price | ¥7,480 each (incl. tax)

"Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" TOTE BAG
Size | W380mm × H460mm
Price | ¥7,480 each (incl. tax)

"Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" Crew Neck Sweater
Sizes | M, L
Price | ¥39,600 each (incl. tax)

"Music Illustrated"
His fourth original album, released on October 24, 1984. The recording took 1 year and 8 months, and it features the introduction of the synthesizer "Fairlight CMI." Hajime Tachibana handled the jacket design.

"Music Illustrated" TEE
Sizes | S, M, L, XL
Price | ¥7,480 each (incl. tax)

"Music Illustrated" TOTE BAG
Size | W380mm × H460mm
Price | ¥7,480 each (incl. tax)

"NEO GEO"
His seventh original album, released on July 1, 1987. Co-produced with Bill Laswell, it featured Sly Dunbar, Bootsy Collins, Tony Williams, and Iggy Pop in the recording sessions.

"NEO GEO" TEE
Sizes | S, M, L, XL
Price | ¥7,480 each (incl. tax)

"NEO GEO" TOTE BAG
Size | W380mm × H460mm
Price | ¥7,480 each (incl. tax)

©️ 2024 KAB Inc. / KAB America Inc.

Ryuichi Sakamoto | Seeing Sound, Hearing Time
Exhibition Dates | Saturday, December 21, 2024 – Sunday, March 30, 2025
Venue | Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Exhibition Rooms 1F/B2F
Opening Hours | 10:00–18:00 (Last admission to exhibition rooms 30 minutes before closing)
*Please note that items may sell out without prior notice depending on your visit time.
*The photo shows a sample under supervision. Actual products may differ slightly.