Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo

Soundwalk Collective, led by Stephan Crasneanscki and Simone Merli, is a Berlin-based sonic arts platform known for its experimental, interdisciplinary approach to sound. The group has collaborated with artists such as Jean-Luc Godard, Nan Goldin and Charlotte Gainsbourg, creating narratives that explore themes including time, memory and loss. This spring, they’re bringing an auditory spectacle to the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in the form of a collab with none other than Patti Smith. A musician, poet and visual artist, the inimitable Chicago native has shaped cultural history through her fusion of literature, music and activism, inspiring generations since her groundbreaking 1975 album Horses. Fusing sound, poetry and film, ‘Correspondences’ takes over the MOT from April 26 to June 29. Through eight films, lightboxes, and sound installations, the exhibition explores themes such as environmental destruction and human resilience. Sonic memories collected from landscapes in Chernobyl and fire-ravaged forests are interwoven with Smith’s poetry and archival visuals, which feature cinema greats such as Pasolini and Godard.  Presented for the first time in Japan, the exhibition marks the launch of MOT Plus, a platform for experimental art. A special artist talk with Smith and Crasneanscki will be held on April 26.

Kenjiro Okazaki (b. 1955) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans painting, sculpture, architecture, landscape design and even robotics. His artistic practice defies categorisation, blending visual abstraction with conceptual depth. Internationally recognised, he directed the Japanese pavilion at the Venice Biennale’s Architecture Exhibition in 2002 and collaborated with choreographer Trisha Brown for the performance I Love My Robot (2007). ‘Time Unfolding Here’ at the Museum of Contemporary Art is the first large-scale retrospective of Okazaki’s work in Tokyo. By presenting his interdisciplinary approach, which bridges art, architecture and philosophy, the exhibition seeks to reveal how artistic creation can serve as a method of understanding the world. A must-see for anyone interested in the intersection of art and critical thinking, the show will feature new works as well as landmark pieces from Okazaki’s long career, illustrating the evolution of his exploration of form, perception and space.

Kanagawa-born, NYC-based Aki Sasamoto’s decompartmentalised artistic practice explores performance, sculpture, dance, and any other medium conducive to the expression of her ideas. At the intersection of visual and performing arts, her work involves collaborating with musicians, choreographers, scientists and academics, and she often takes on multiple roles: performer and sculptor, but also professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Sculpture at Yale University. In her work, Sasamoto constantly reflects on the design and configuration of sculptures and devices that she uses as scores during improvised performances within immersive installations. As she describes it, her creative process is akin to fishing: she ‘casts a net and waits for a perfect alignment of events’, letting several elements float before grasping the connections by relating them to seemingly foreign references. On from August 23 to November 24, ‘Aki Sasamoto’s Life Laboratory’ at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo explores the interplay between sculptural creation and performance that has characterised the artist’s work for two decades. From landmark early works to more recent creations that emphasise kinetic elements, the exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of Sasamoto’s journey and unique approach, where the boundaries between artistic disciplines blur in favour of captivating hybrid expression.