The National Museum of Art, Osaka is pleased to present the special exhibition Aki Sasamoto’s Life Laboratory. Based on the exhibition held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in 2025, this presentation has been partly reconfigured to include works from the museum’s collection.
Sasamoto continually alternates between sculptural thinking and bodily expression. Combining elements such as string, tubing, everyday objects, sound, and language, she constructs installations that function like circuits through which thoughts and emotions circulate. By entering these spaces herself and performing through speech and movement, she treats each work as not a fixed object but an event that continues to evolve over time. One of the defining features of Sasamoto’s practice is that she presents not a predetermined finished form, but the very process through which an event comes into being.
Her interests extend from intimate territory such as personal memory and everyday habits to, in recent years, observations of natural phenomena and ecosystems. As her light, conversational narration intersects with complex, constructed contraptions, the works unfold with both humor and tension. The objects placed in the space are not simply stage props, but devices that set events in motion and elicit improvisational developments.
As the title Laboratory suggests, Sasamoto’s practice is defined not by the presentation of finished results, but by the sharing of the trial-and-error process itself with the audience. Visitors do not simply view the works, but walk through the space, sense the sounds and atmosphere around them, and are drawn into the flow of thought. Building on the exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, this iteration partially changes the lineup of works by altering the gallery configuration and adding works from the museum’s collection in a new presentation suited to the spatial qualities of the National Museum of Art, Osaka.
The performances staged during the exhibition period will also have new content. In these performances, staged in the gallery space, words, the body, and objects are closely interwoven, producing events that take shape only in that moment. As a result, each visit will offer a different experience.
This exhibition is not a static display of works, but takes shape as a living event in which changing situations and relationships become part of the work itself, stirring the thoughts and senses of those who experience it. Even for those unacquainted with contemporary art, familiar materials and narratives will offer multiple entry points for interpretation.
Aki Sasamoto © Kazuo Fukunaga. Courtesy of Take Ninagawa, Tokyo
Aki Sasamoto, catch or be caught, 2020, Installation view of the exhibition “Aki Sasamoto’s Life Laboratory” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 2025 Photo by Ryuichi Maruo
Aki Sasamoto, Sounding Lines, 2024, Installation view of “Sounding Lines” at Para Site, Hong Kong © Aki Sasamoto, courtesy of Take Ninagawa, Tokyo Collection of Shane Akeroyd Photo by Studio Lights On
Aki Sasamoto, Sounding Lines, 2024, Installation view of “Sounding Lines” at Para Site, Hong Kong © Aki Sasamoto, courtesy of Take Ninagawa, Tokyo. Collection of Shane Akeroyd Photo by Studio Lights On
Aki Sasamoto, Do Nut Diagram, 2018. ©︎ Aki Sasamoto, courtesy of Take Ninagawa, Tokyo.
Aki Sasamoto, E_O, 2011, performance view of “E_O” at Take Ninagawa, Tokyo, 2012. ©︎ Aki Sasamoto, courtesy of Take Ninagawa. Photo by Kei Okano
Aki Sasamoto, E_O, 2011, performance view of “E_O” at Take Ninagawa, Tokyo, 2012. ©︎ Aki Sasamoto, courtesy of Take Ninagawa. Photo by Kei Okano
Aki Sasamoto, Wrong Happy Hour, 2014, performance view of “Wrong Happy Hour” at JTT, New York ©︎ Aki Sasamoto, courtesy of Take Ninagawa, Tokyo Photo by Ben Hagari
Aki Sasamoto, Yield Point – Diagram 5.4.2017, ©︎ Aki Sasamoto, courtesy of Take Ninagawa, Tokyo
Aki Sasamoto, Secrets of My Mother’s Child, 2009, performance view at “One Minute More” at The Chocolate Factory, New York ©︎ Aki Sasamoto, courtesy of The Kitchen, NY and Take Ninagawa, Tokyo Photo by Arturo Vidich
- Period July 19–November 3, 2026
- Opening Hours 10:00–17:00 (10:00–20:00 on Fridays).
*Last admission 30 minutes before closing. - Closed Mondays (except July 20, September 21, October 12, and November 2) and July 21, September 24, and October 13.
- Organized by The National Museum of Art, Osaka
- Sponsored by Daikin Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Special Supported by Take Ninagawa
Curated by Yuka Uematsu (Chief Curator, The National Museum of Art, Osaka)
Curated and Supervised by Keiko Okamura (Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo) - Admission Adults 1,800 (1,600) yen, University students 1,200 (1,100) yen
・（ ）admission for groups of more than 20 people and night discount (applicable after 17:00 on Friday).
・Admission free for visitors under 18 (proof required).
・Admission free for visitors with disabilities and one attendant (proof required).
・Tickets for this exhibition also include admission to collection exhibition.