The Japanese composer and artist Ryuichi Sakamoto has never been content with just one discipline. “The global view of cultures is part of my nature,” he once explained. “I want to break down the walls between genres, categories, or cultures.” Sakamoto began playing the piano as a three year old, studied ethnomusicology at university, and was a founding member of the techno-pop Yellow Magic Orchestra, the first band to fuse Asian and electronic music. His work for the 1987 film The Last Emperor won him the Academy Award for Best Original Score. In this, Sakamoto’s first solo show in China—and his largest institutional art show to date—the composer encourages viewers to step into his world. Eight immersive environments fill the gallery space and are supplemented by installation music. A piano retrieved from a tsunami emits new sounds, while light, space, and projections promise to play with our senses. —E.C.
The Arts Intel Report
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler