Kenjiro Okazaki on Time, Perception, and Zōkei at MCA Tokyo

Kenjiro Okazaki's survey '而今而後 Time Unfolding Here' at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MCA Tokyo) presents work spanning painting, sculpture, architecture, robotics, performance, and writing, unified by an inquiry into time and perception. Okazaki argues that contemporary instability unsettles perception itself, and art can reattune it by revealing time as layered duration rather than linear sequence. The exhibition focuses on works made since 2021, though Okazaki notes that seeing earlier pieces alongside recent ones revealed consistent concerns. He describes zōkei (plastic arts) as akin to neuroplasticity—preserving potential forms beyond those manifested. Collaboration, he says, allows experiments unverifiable in the studio, with communication as its core. Okazaki is preparing a learning and research center integrating environmental learning, medical rehabilitation, and artistic creation, reviving Socratic dialogue. The exhibition is at MCA Tokyo; photos by Shu Nakagawa, courtesy of Pace Gallery.