Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo

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.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo celebrates its 30th birthday by gathering together over 30 artists and collectives from diverse generations and geographies to reflect on how contemporary art can illuminate the hidden structures of daily life while opening new possibilities for collective imagination. Foregrounding domestic, institutional and urban contexts from households shaped by gender norms to the contested spaces of Okinawa and Mumbai, ‘Choreographies of Everyday’ investigates how subjectivity is formed, constrained and transformed. Newly commissioned works developed through research in Tokyo will join pieces by artists including Satoru Aoyama, Jonathas de Andrade, Mako Idemitsu, Shilpa Gupta and the Rice Brewing Sisters Club. Together, these works confront systemic violence and oppression while highlighting acts of resistance, creativity and humour that endure in the everyday. The exhibition’s title signals both mechanisms of social control and the agency to subvert or transcend them. In that spirit, the show unfolds as a dynamic platform, enriched by performances, talks and workshops throughout its duration.

The annual Tokyo Art Book Fair (TABF) at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in Kiyosumi returns this December at a larger scale than ever before, taking place over two weekends for the first time: December 11 to 14 and December 19 to 21. In this fifteenth instalment, expect a total of 560-odd publishers, galleries and artists from Japan and abroad taking part, with each weekend featuring a different line-up of exhibitors. At TABF, you’ll be able to flip through zines, chat with artists and browse quirky goods made for bibliophiles with an eye for design. The Guest Country programme, which has become a regular element of the book fair, is putting the spotlight on Italian publishers this year, with three exhibitions: YES YES YES: Revolutionary Press in Italy 1966-1977, showcasing underground newspapers and magazines, and Out of the Grid: Italian Zines 1978-2006, highlighting the evolution of zine culture. The programme also includes Marchette, exploring ties between corporations and publishing in Italian design, along with a showcase by Corraini, the publisher behind picture books by Bruno Munari, Enzo Mari and Ettore Sottsass. Aside from the pop-up booths where publishers, galleries and independent creatives will be showcasing their latest projects, the programme also includes a series of workshops and open-panel discussions to look forward to. General admission is ¥1,200 per person and advance tickets (¥1,000 plus a ¥165 booking fee) will be available online from...