Exhibition program 2026

The exhibition schedule for the year 2026 is as follows.

Natsuyuki Nakanishi: Devices for Gentle Gazing and Endless Lingering
March 14–June 14, 2026

Natsuyuki Nakanishi (1935–2016) was one of Japan’s preeminent contemporary painters. This exhibition marks the first retrospective of the artist’s work since his death ten years ago. While tracing the trajectory of Nakanishi’s career back to the late 1950s, the exhibition primarily sets out to shed light on his unique view of painting. Nakanishi’s works are not necessarily depictions of a given subject, making it impossible to classify them as either figurative or abstract. To what extent does a picture inhabit the canvas? Or more to the point, where does it actually exist?

Nakanishi’s practice, in which he constantly returned to the basics, promises to provide us with useful insights as we reconsider the production of painting in Japan at this point in time.

Aki Sasamoto’s Life Laboratory
July 19–November 3, 2026

Since the mid-2000s, the New York-based artist Aki Sasamoto (b. 1980) has been making works a wide range of media including performance, installation, and video. Internationally active, Sasamoto is widely recognized for improvisational performances in which she physically intervenes in spaces containing sculptures, devices, and formed objects of her own design. This exhibition presents a comprehensive view of Sasamoto’s deeply humorous and experimental practice, from important early performances and installations to her most recent formed objects, which are distinguished by a greater emphasis on kinetic elements. 

Stratified Languages
December 1, 2026–March 14, 2027

In recent years, developments in translation apps have made it possible for us to communicate freely in multiple languages. Despite this, language and words remain an indispensable foundation for shaping our individual cultures, ideas, and identity. The places where different languages meet are often sites of conflicts, clashes, control, and suppression. This exhibition primarily introduces works from the collection by artists who focus on layers of history and memory, while dwelling in a place where languages, cultures, and ideologies intersect.

Featured artists include Cao Fei, Moon Kyungwon & Jeon Joonho, Yuki Kihara, and Sayaka Uehara.

Collection exhibitions
Collection 3: March 14–June 14, 2026
Collection 1: July 19–November 3, 2026
Collection 2: December 1, 2026–March 22, 2027

The dates, titles, and content of the exhibitions are subject to change. Please visit the museum website for the latest information.