Composer and artist Ryuichi Sakamoto is regarded as a pioneer of electronic and experimental music who continually redefined the boundaries between sound, film, performance and visual art. Since the 2000s he developed three-dimensional sound environments, often in collaboration with international artists such as Shiro Takatani and Carsten Nicolai, as well as the filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The first major retrospective of Ryuichi Sakamoto in Europe presents seven works in five large-scale installations and opens during Berlin Art Week. The exhibition places the intersection of sound and art at its centre, a hallmark of Hamburger Bahnhof since its founding 30 years ago.

Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart presents seven works in five large-scale installation by the composer and artist Ryuichi Sakamoto across approximately 1,500 square metres in the Rieckhallen. IS YOUR TIME (2017), in which a piano destroyed by the 2011 tsunami becomes an object for sound, is based on digitally converted seismological data from earthquakes around the world in real time. Further installations were created from his album async (2017) in close collaboration with the artist Shiro Takatani and the filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Two films shown in the exhibition by Carsten Nicolai use music from Sakamoto’s final album 12, a sonic diary recorded between 2021 and 2022.

The Composer and Artist Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952–2023) was a composer, producer, and artist born in Tokyo. In 1978 he made his debut with the album Thousand Knives and co-founded the legendary techno group Yellow Magic Orchestra. His diverse body of work includes pop albums, numerous classical works, two operas and nearly 45 original film and television soundtracks. His film scores received several prestigious awards, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globes and a Grammy. 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 campaigned for environmental protection and world peace for decades. He founded the organisation "more trees" to protect forests and the "Tohoku Youth Orchestra" to support victims of the Tohoku earthquake through music. Sakamoto passed away on 28 March 2023.

Exhibition Catalogue

A publication of the Hamburger Bahnhof catalogue series, published by Silvana Editoriale Milano, will accompany the exhibition.

Curatorial Team

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 programme celebrating30 years of Hamburger Bahnhof. In 2026, the museum marks its 30th anniversary with a programme that bridges its history and its future: eight special exhibitions, a new collection presentation, as well as performances and concerts extending the museum’s reach into the urban space. Highlight will be the anniversary weekend from 13 to 15 November featuring an international conference on the future of contemporary collection museums and continuous 30-hour opening of the building.

In cooperation with KAB Inc. / KAB America Inc. and Dumb Type Office Ltd.

The exhibition is supported by the Hamburger Bahnhof International Companions e. V.

Funded by the EU-Japan Fest Japan Committee.

A special exhibition of the Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin