OVERVIEW
async - immersion
After receiving great acclaim at AMBIENT KYOTO 2023,
async – immersion
comes to Tokyo this summer, presented on the same scale.
After receiving great acclaim at
AMBIENT KYOTO 2023,
async – immersion
comes to Tokyo this summer,
presented on the same scale.
| Title | RYUICHI SAKAMOTO + SHIRO TAKATANI AMBIENT KYOTO - TOKYO |
|---|---|
| Dates | August 28 Fri – October 25 Sun, 2026 / Open daily for 59 days |
| Venue | Azabudai Hills Gallery |
| Artists | Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani |
| Tickets | Tickets scheduled to go on sale in early August |
| Organizer | AMBIENT KYOTO Executive Committee (TOW / Traffic) |
| Planning and Production | TOW / Traffic |
| PR Cooperation | HOW INC. |
| Special Cooperation | KAB Inc. / Dumb Type Office |
AMBIENT KYOTO, an exhibition based in Kyoto and composed of sound, art, and space under the theme of “ambient,” will be held in Tokyo for the first time from Friday, August 28 to Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Set at Azabudai Hills Gallery in Minato-ku, Tokyo, this exhibition presents async - immersion, a work by Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani / Dumb Type, originally shown at AMBIENT KYOTO 2023.
An overwhelming experience made possible by the luxury of a standalone installation using a massive 26.4-meter-wide screen, and a special work created through the integration of music, visuals, sound, space, and the audience.
This will be the first opportunity since AMBIENT KYOTO 2023 to experience the work on the same scale.
Sound director ZAK, known for his work on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s later works and also responsible for AMBIENT KYOTO 2023, will reconstruct the sound for the space of Azabudai Hills Gallery.
Since its first edition in 2022, AMBIENT KYOTO has created new experiences through encounters between the everyday and the extraordinary, tradition and new culture, and people and the city.
In 2026, experience the world of async - immersion with your whole body in Tokyo.
async - immersion
An installation work based on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s 2017 album async, composed of visuals by Shiro Takatani and three-dimensional sound by ZAK. It was first presented at AMBIENT KYOTO 2023 as Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani | async - immersion 2023, where it received great acclaim.
Developed under Sakamoto’s concept of “installed music,” the idea of spatially placing sound in three dimensions, this work can be seen as the culmination of the async series. The visuals created by Takatani, as the title async suggests, respond to the sound while never fully synchronizing with it.
Within a time in which the relationship between sound and image continues to shift, the audience’s senses quietly waver and are drawn into the deeper layers of the work’s world. Not simply something to watch. Not simply something to listen to. This is a once-in-a-lifetime immersive experience where music, visuals, sound, space, and you become one.
ARTISTS
Born in Tokyo in 1952. Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, master’s degree program, and making his debut in 1978 with the album Thousand Knives. In the same year, participated in the formation of the legendary techno group Yellow Magic Orchestra. Producing pop albums and numerous classical compositions, two operas, and nearly 45 original film/TV scores, his film soundtracks have won prestigious awards, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, a Grammy, and more. Sakamoto also made considerable contributions to the art world with his work exhibited in museums worldwide (Seoul, 2018; Beijing, 2021; Cheng-du, 2023; Tokyo, 2024). As an activist for many decades, he focused on environmental conservation and world peace, including founding the forest preservation organization “more trees”, and the “Tohoku Youth Orchestra” to support the victims of the Tohoku Earthquake through music. Sakamoto passed away on March 28, 2023. sitesakamoto.com
In 1984, while studying at Kyoto City University of Arts, he began working as a member of Dumb Type, engaging in the creation of performances and installation works using various media, and has presented performances and exhibitions at theaters, museums, and art centers around the world. In 1998, he began his individual creative practice alongside his activities with Dumb Type. Recent major activities include the 2021 world premiere of the theater piece TIME with Ryuichi Sakamoto at the Holland Festival. In 2022, Dumb Type welcomed Ryuichi Sakamoto as a new member and presented the new work 2022 at the Japan Pavilion of the Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition. In 2023, the return exhibition Dumb Type | 2022: remap was held at Artizon Museum in Tokyo. In spring 2024, TIME was performed at the New National Theatre Tokyo and ROHM Theatre Kyoto. Currently, the installation WINDOWS is on view at Museum Tower Kyobashi in Tokyo. shiro.dumbtype.com
Born in Tokyo in 1952. Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, master’s degree program, and making his debut in 1978 with the album Thousand Knives. In the same year, participated in the formation of the legendary techno group Yellow Magic Orchestra. Producing pop albums and numerous classical compositions, two operas, and nearly 45 original film/TV scores, his film soundtracks have won prestigious awards, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, a Grammy, and more. Sakamoto also made considerable contributions to the art world with his work exhibited in museums worldwide (Seoul, 2018; Beijing, 2021; Cheng-du, 2023; Tokyo, 2024). As an activist for many decades, he focused on environmental conservation and world peace, including founding the forest preservation organization “more trees”, and the “Tohoku Youth Orchestra” to support the victims of the Tohoku Earthquake through music. Sakamoto passed away on March 28, 2023. sitesakamoto.com
In 1984, while studying at Kyoto City University of Arts, he began working as a member of Dumb Type, engaging in the creation of performances and installation works using various media, and has presented performances and exhibitions at theaters, museums, and art centers around the world. In 1998, he began his individual creative practice alongside his activities with Dumb Type. Recent major activities include the 2021 world premiere of the theater piece TIME with Ryuichi Sakamoto at the Holland Festival. In 2022, Dumb Type welcomed Ryuichi Sakamoto as a new member and presented the new work 2022 at the Japan Pavilion of the Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition. In 2023, the return exhibition Dumb Type | 2022: remap was held at Artizon Museum in Tokyo. In spring 2024, TIME was performed at the New National Theatre Tokyo and ROHM Theatre Kyoto. Currently, the installation WINDOWS is on view at Museum Tower Kyobashi in Tokyo. shiro.dumbtype.com
TICKET
On sale in early August
VENUE
AZABUDAI HILLS GALLERY
Garden Plaza A, MB Floor, Azabudai Hills
5-8-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001
［ACCESS］
Directly connected from Basement 1 of Exit 5 at Kamiyacho Station
on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line.
Please take the escalator to the MB floor.
A 7-minute walk from Exit 4 of Roppongi-itchome Station on the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line.
AMBIENT KYOTO
An exhibition of sound, visuals,
and light under the theme of ambient
AMBIENT KYOTO is an exhibition composed of sound, art, and space under the theme of “ambient.” Since its first edition in 2022, AMBIENT KYOTO has created new experiences through encounters between the everyday and the extraordinary, tradition and new culture, and people and the city. The first edition in 2022 featured BRIAN ENO AMBIENT KYOTO, an exhibition by Brian Eno, the pioneer of ambient music. For the second edition in 2023, a work by Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani was presented on the basement floor of the Kyoto Shimbun Building, using 29 speakers and 6 subwoofers to create a three-dimensional sound experience. In addition, Cornelius, Buffalo Daughter, and Seiichi Yamamoto were invited to the former Welfare Center of Kyoto Chuo Shinkin Bank, a historic building about 100 years old, where sound, visuals, and light installations were presented.
info@ambientkyoto.com