Ryuichi Sakamoto – Hamburger Bahnhof – National Gallery of Contemporary Art, Germany

In collaboration with Shiro Takatani, Carsten Nicolai and Apichatpong Weerasethakul

The exhibition is the first major retrospective of the composer and artist in Europe. Ryuichi Sakamoto is considered a pioneer of electronic and experimental music who constantly redefined the boundaries between sound, film, performance, and visual art.

Since the 2000s, Sakamoto has developed three-dimensional soundscapes, often in collaboration with international artists such as Shiro Takatani and Carsten Nicolai, or the filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul. “Ryuichi Sakamoto | seeing sound, hearing time” presents seven works in five large-scale installations and opens during Berlin Art Week. The exhibition focuses on the intersection of sound and art, which has been a hallmark of the Hamburger Bahnhof since its founding 30 years ago.

The Hamburger Bahnhof – National Gallery of Contemporary Art presents seven works in five large-scale installations by composer and artist Ryuichi Sakamoto across approximately 1,500 square meters in the Rieck Halls. “IS YOUR TIME” (2017), in which a piano damaged by the 2011 tsunami becomes an object for sound, is based on digitally converted seismological data from earthquakes worldwide. Other installations were created in close collaboration with artist Shiro Takatani and filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul, based on his album “async” (2017). Two films by Carsten Nicolai in the exhibition use music from Sakamoto’s latest album, “12,” a sound diary he recorded between 2021 and 2022.

The composer and artist Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952–2023) was a composer, producer, and artist born in Tokyo. He debuted in 1978 with the album “Thousand Knives” and co-founded the legendary techno group Yellow Magic Orchestra. His diverse oeuvre includes pop albums, numerous classical works, two operas, and nearly 45 original film and television soundtracks. He received numerous prestigious awards for his film scores, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and a Grammy Award. Sakamoto was also active in the art world: his works have been exhibited in museums worldwide (Seoul, 2018; Beijing, 2021; Chengdu, 2023–2024; Tokyo, 2024–2025; Phuket, 2026; Hong Kong, 2026). As an activist, he dedicated decades to environmental protection and world peace. He founded the organization “More Trees” for forest conservation and the “Tohoku Youth Orchestra” to support the victims of the Tohoku earthquake through music. Sakamoto died on March 28, 2023.

Exhibition catalogue

An edition of the Hamburger Bahnhof catalogue series, published by Silvana Editoriale Milano, accompanies the exhibition.

Curators

The exhibition is curated by Ingrid Buschmann, curator at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, together with Sachiko Namba, curator, Tokyo.

The exhibition is part of the 30th anniversary program of the Hamburger Bahnhof. In 2026, the Hamburger Bahnhof will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a program that spans from the history of the site to the future: eight special exhibitions, a new presentation of the collection, as well as performances and concerts will extend the museum far into the urban space. The highlight will be the anniversary weekend from November 13 to 15, 2026, during which an international conference on the future of contemporary collection museums will take place and the museum will be open continuously for 30 hours.

In close collaboration with The Estate of Ryuichi Sakamoto / KAB Inc. and Dumb Type Office Ltd.

Main sponsors:
Hamburger Bahnhof International Companions e. V.
STUDIO GARAGE

Sponsors:
MASTER MIND LTD.
Sony Corporation

Supported by:
Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan in the fiscal year of 2026
EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee