21_21 DESIGN SIGHT’s Time Exhibition from February 2027; Tomohiro Okazaki Turns the Gallery into a Clock

21_21 DESIGN SIGHT (in Tokyo Midtown, Roppongi, Tokyo) will hold the special exhibition “Time” in Galleries 1 & 2 from Friday, February 5 to Sunday, May 23, 2027. The exhibition director is graphic designer Tomohiro Okazaki, who has pursued the expression of the time axis through stop-motion. The exhibition considers the familiar time we use as a tool in daily life from “a design perspective,” treating 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT itself as “one big clock,” with time-related devices placed throughout the building.

What kind of exhibition? From the order of touring the venue to the nori on a rice ball

The exhibition statement begins with the fact that we share a day as 24 hours, check vehicle timetables and look at calendars to make plans. Time is divided into cycles such as a week or a year, on the basis of which our lives and work are planned.

The examples cited in the statement extend to the exhibition itself: the time spent looking at works and reading captions, the order in which you tour the venue, the exhibition period and the opening hours; the travel time to the venue and waiting at red lights on the way. When was the rice ball you ate before going out made, how long ago was the nori wrapped around it cultivated, and how long is the history of rice farming in Japan? The exhibition brings together a variety of works, including new ways of expressing time, unexpected ways of perceiving it, and works that make you feel the accumulation and cycles of time.

Director Tomohiro Okazaki: his message and the production team

Tomohiro Okazaki is a graphic designer whose work, grounded in the stance of graphic design, connects fields centered on visual communication, such as printed matter, video and exhibitions. In the director’s message on the official website, Okazaki says that while there are many exhibitions and philosophical and scientific inquiries dealing with time, this exhibition focuses on the time we use like a tool in everyday life. He says he wants to create an exhibition that is like picking up and gazing at an ordinary stone in a familiar landscape.

Planning and production are by Mai Tsunoo and Atsuro Oka, graphic design by Akino Tagami, and exhibition design by Takashi Nakahara. The technical architect is Toshiyuki Hashimoto, and engineering is by aircord and Nakaji (中路景暁). Cooperation is provided by Seiko Solutions Inc.

Why now? The exhibition following “Learning from Hojoki”

Galleries 1 & 2 of 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT are currently hosting “Learning from Hojoki: Small Architecture That Reweaves Living” until January 11, 2027, and “Time” will be the next special exhibition. The exhibition page notes that the exhibition period has been changed; as of October 20 the period is February 5 to May 23. The participating artists and exhibitors and the admission fee have not yet been announced.

Opening hours, admission and access

Opening hours are 10:00 to 19:00 (last entry 18:30). The gallery is closed on Tuesdays but open on February 23 and May 4. Admission varies by exhibition, and the fee for this exhibition has not been announced. At 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, junior high, high school and university students (including technical college, vocational and specialized school students) must show a student ID, and holders of a disability certificate and one companion are admitted free. Online tickets are handled by ArtSticker.

The address is Tokyo Midtown Midtown Garden, 9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo. It is a five-minute walk from Roppongi Station on the Toei Oedo Line and Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line and from Nogizaka Station on the Chiyoda Line. There is a reciprocal discount with the Suntory Museum of Art, also in Tokyo Midtown: showing a ticket stub or similar from the current exhibition at one gets you a discount on admission at the other. Other exhibitions in 2027 are summarized in our 2027 exhibition schedule.

Overview

Name: Special exhibition “Time”
Dates: Friday, February 5 – Sunday, May 23, 2027
Hours: 10:00–19:00 (last entry 18:30)
Closed: Tuesdays (open February 23 and May 4)
Venue: 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, Galleries 1 & 2
Address: Tokyo Midtown Midtown Garden, 9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Admission: Not yet announced
Organizers: 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT; The Miyake Issey Foundation
Special sponsorship: Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
Cooperation: Seiko Solutions Inc.
Exhibition director: Tomohiro Okazaki
Official website: https://www.2121designsight.jp/program/time/
*Information as of October 20, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Exterior of 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, February 2015 (Photo: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on announcements on 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT’s official website (as of October 20, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team