M WOODS announces pioneering Japanese composer and artist Ryuichi Sakamoto’s solo show “SOUND AND TIME” as the inaugural exhibition of the newly founded M WOODS (People’s Park), Chengdu. Two years after the debut of Sakamoto’s artwork in China at M WOODS (Hutong), Beijing, “SOUND AND TIME” evolved and developed out of the previous iteration, serving as a large-scale retrospective that comprehensively presents Sakamoto’s artistic career in both an experiential and rhetorical sense.During his more than 50 years of artistic career, Sakamoto continues to defy conventional boundaries between different disciplines and modes of artistic expression, radically transforming the way we think about creative practice and the potential of art. Rather than a linear chronological overview, the exhibition, not unlike his works, weaves together a diverse network that combines and connects different times and spaces. The exhibition will focus on eight large-scale sound installations made in collaboration with fellow celebrated artists, among which a new outdoor site-specific installation made specifically for this exhibition will be shown for the first time.
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani, IS YOUR TIME, 2017, Installation
Tsunami piano, Vorsetzer (player piano mechanism), 14ch audio, 10 LED video wall panels Commissioned by NTT InterCommunication Center [ICC]
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani, LIFE - fluid, invisible, inaudible..., 2007/2021, Installation
24ch audio, 12 acrylic water tanks with ultrasonic fog generators and video projectors
Original Development: Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM]
Original version (9 Water Tank Version): Commissioned by Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM]
Beijing version (12 Water Tank Version): Commissioned by M WOODS Museum
Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani, water state 1, 2013, Installation
water basin with droplet device, 16ch audio, stone Commissioned by Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM]
Photo: Ryuichi Maruo (YCAM)
Courtesy of Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM]
About the Artist
Ryuichi Sakamoto was a composer, producer, artist, and environmental activist born in Tokyo. Making his debut in 1978 with the album Thousand Knives, Sakamoto's diverse résumé includes pioneering electronic works in the legendary techno group Yellow Magic Orchestra, producing globally-inspired pop albums and numerous classical compositions, two operas, and nearly 45 original film scores for directors, including Bernardo Bertolucci, Pedro Almodóvar, Brian De Palma, and Alejandro González Iñárritu. His film soundtracks have won prestigious awards, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and many more.
Sakamoto made considerable contributions to the art world with both solo and collaborative installations and multi-piece exhibitions presented in galleries and museums worldwide. Most recently, M WOODS, Beijing, presented the largest and most comprehensive collection spanning 30 years devoted to Sakamoto's artworks in various media, centering around 8 large-scale sound installations.
Premiering at the Holland Festival 2021, Sakamoto and longtime collaborator Shiro Takatani presented a new theater piece, TIME. TIME continues to tour the world, bringing the artist duo’s last collaboration to long-time and new fans alike.
On January 17th, 2023, his 71st birthday, Ryuichi released “12", his 15th solo album. The new album is a collection of 12 songs selected from musical sketches Sakamoto recorded like a sound diary during his two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer.
Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away in March 2023 at the age of 71.
About the Exhibition
Ryuichi Sakamoto | SOUND AND TIME
Dates: 30 July, 2023 - 5 January, 2024
Venue: M WOODS (People’s Park), Chengdu
With collaborative works by Shiro Takatani | Daito Manabe | Zakkubalan | Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Head of Exhibition Program: Wanwan Lei
Curated by Sachiko Namba, Victor Wang Exhibition Director: Deng Yingying
Courtesy of M WOODS.
