Lisson Gallery presents the first U.S. solo exhibition in over five years by Tatsuo Miyajima, one of Japan’s most celebrated sculptors and installation artists. Known for his innovative use of LED technology to explore Buddhist philosophy, Miyajima’s work investigates themes of time, existence, and the cycles of life and death. The exhibition introduces three new series – Many Lives, MUL.APIN, and Hundred Changes in Life – which build on explorations of ‘Seimei’, a Japanese concept encompassing life, being and consciousness.
Read moreThese new works continue Miyajima’s signature use of LED countdowns that omit 0, positioning death not as an endpoint but as a moment of transformation. In Many Lives, Miyajima employs full-color LEDs that count down from 9 to 1 before resetting to 9 in evolving colors and speeds. Each LED represents an individual ‘Seimei’ with its own rhythm and identity, symbolizing the cycle of life and death as an endless process of rebirth. Together, these elements form a larger interconnected world, evoking the Buddhist concept of samsara and reinforcing the idea that every life, visible or invisible, has value.
MUL.APIN, named after ancient Babylonian clay tablets used for astronomy, links Buddhist philosophy with ancient cosmological systems. This series reflects the cycles of life and death through the sexagesimal (base-60) system of Babylonian timekeeping, using LEDs arranged to evoke celestial movements. As the LEDs reset from 0, their random color changes symbolize the dispersion and renewal of life across the cosmos. Through this synthesis of ancient and modern, earthly and universal, the MUL.APIN works situate human existence within the vast, interconnected framework of time and space.
In the Hundred Changes in Life series, Miyajima draws on the ‘Ten Worlds of Buddhism’ states of existence, ranging from Hell to Buddhahood, to represent life’s constant transformations. Encased within mirrored cylinders, the LED numbers continuously shift in color, speed and sequence, creating an interplay between the viewer’s reflection and the artwork. This interaction embodies En, the Buddhist concept of causality and interconnectedness, illustrating how individual states of existence influence and are influenced by external forces. The work’s dynamic configurations suggest the endless potential for evolution and renewal, both within the self and the larger world.
While these new series reflect a bold evolution in Miyajima’s practice, they are rooted in his foundational principles: Keep Changing, Connect with Everything, and Continue Forever. By merging cutting-edge technology with spiritual inquiry, Miyajima’s work invites contemplation of life’s impermanence and interconnectedness, offering a vision of continuity that transcends the boundaries of time, space and individuality.
